Crysis Effect 2
by DemonFireX
Summary: The end of Sovereign was only the beginning. Faced with obsticles he never thought he had to face, Alex will have to do whatever he can to protect everyone from the Reapers. No matter what it takes, he'll do what's needed when others refuse to. Everything has a price. But as long as he is at her side, nothing else matters. OC/FShep
1. Prologue: The Hunter

_**A/N: After working for the last three days, having my computer crash and having to wipe the whole damn hard drive...I'M BACK! And with my return I bring you the much anticipated beginning to the next arc of the Crysis Effect series! Now there have been a lot of questions circulating around about how I'm going to go about writing this next part of the story. And those questions will be answered in due time.**_

_**As for the story itself, the beginning will be filled with a lot of flashbacks and time skips to fill in certain gaps and make everything fall into place about how everything lead up to a certain point. And with this arc dipping into the ME2 storyline there are going to be a lot of changes. And let me tell you, canon will be thrown for a loop more than once before this part of the story is over.**_

_**But I've kept you all waiting long enough. It's time to start this party once again! So with just three words, let's start this thing.**_

_**I OWN NOTHING**_

_hey say that the greatest weapon ever to come about was the mind. With a mere thought one could orchestrate the death of millions. The mind can help us create many things, both devious and helpful depending on the context with which it is used. It is through these creations that Humanity has made many great discoveries._

_The world itself has changed with each of our discoveries. Advancements in technologies, the mysteries of the planet of which we live in, and even the galaxy that surrounds us. Our evolution was based off of these discoveries and the creations we have made from them._

_However, it is through all of this that the creation of physical weapons have been made. A creation that has caused death and destruction for countless millenia for our species, and for many others beyond the stars. _

_But in the end, the ultimate weapon remains to be the mind...for with it true weapons are made. Knowledge being the ammunition that fuels it._

_Knowledge is the true sense of power, but it is also a poison. Because even though it gives one power, it also taints the mind. Making it corrupt and unable to function when it is needed most, causing the so called 'ultimate weapon' to fail. _

_And when the ultimate weapon fails...what hope is there for the future?_

**Planet Tarus - Hourglass Nebula**

**September 30, 2184 - 13:32 hours**

Tarus was a small, forest-covered planet in the smallest corner of the Hourglass Nebula. Out of the way for many travelers, and even though it is habitable with the right amount of oxygen for many species and the proper climates no one lives there...as far as anyone was aware.

X

One final gunshot rang out and the last merc fell dead to the floor. A squad of five Cerberus Assault Troopers and an Engineer stormed the room weapons ready as they cleared the area of hostiles. "All clear." said the lead trooper as two more stepped into the small base with a Centurion leading them.

"Did you find it?" asked the squad leader as their Engineer began going through the nearby terminals with his omni-tool.

"I think I have. Give me a few moments to break this encryption, whoever wrote it made damn sure that no one could see it." said the Engineer as he began hacking the terminal in front of him.

"Just hurry the hell up. We shouldn't be here any longer than we have to and I-" the Centurion was cut off when a loud clatter echoed from the next room. Every Cerberus operative had their weapons up and aiming at the doorway leading out.

"What the hell was that? I thought we killed everyone here." said one of the troopers gripping his Mattock tighter.

"You and you, go check it out." said the Centurion pointing to two of his men. Both troopers nodded before readying their assault rifles and treading toward the room, opening the door and slipping inside.

The room had been a barracks before the Cerberus strike team cleared the base out. It was empty, a few cots and footlockers knocked around when the mercs all sprang into action when they were under attack.

The two troopers scanned the room before splitting off and going in two different directions to cover more ground. Weapons ready incase any surprises greeted them. Completely unaware of the set of cold, calculating eyes watching them closely.

Kicking over a couple of footlockers and opening a few standing ones, the two Cerberus operatives came up with nothing. "Nothing's here, sir." reported one pressing his ear comm.

_"I don't want any fuck ups on this mission. The Illusive Man will have all our heads if even the smallest thing goes wrong. So make damn sure that the room is clear!" _demanded the squad leader.

The second trooper walked around a moment while his comrade had his back to him. Something out of his peripheral vision made him pause. Moving closer to the corner of the room, he saw a credit chit laying on the ground hidden under an empty duffel bag.

Checking on his partner, the trooper switched his rifle to the other hand and reached down to pick it up.

A shimmer in the air caused him to freeze. He looked up just before his head was grabbed by an unseen force. Fighting feebly against it, the trooper could do nothing as his head was viciously snapped to the side.

The first trooper spun around hearing a loud crack and saw his partner fall to the floor dead. "What the fuc-" Something cloaked shot out of the corner, grabbing him by the head as a knife was driven into the neck piece of his armor.

_"Report! What the hell's going on in there!" demanded the squad leader._

The trooper gurgled as the blade drove farther into his throat. Blood gushing down the front of his bone-white armor as he choked for air. The air shifted and a large black and silver armored man stood before him.

Having only a moment to register shock, the attacker twisted the blade and slashed the rest of his throat. Blood splattering against the wall and floor as he fell dead.

The assailant looked down at the Cerberus operative before stepping over him. Heading toward the door with bloody knife in hand.

X

The Centruion tried to get ahold of the men he sent into the next room but couldn't reach them. Looking to one of his other operatives, he pointed to the door. "Go find those two assholes and find out what the hell's going on!"

Nodding, the trooper walked up to the door and reached for the green holo-panel.

The door suddenly sprung open, a large armored foot connected with the operative's head with a sickening crunch. The body being thrown back and crashing into two of his comrades and knocking them all over.

Every Cerberus agent still standing had their weapons ready as a large suit of black and silver armor stepped into the server room. "SHIT IT'S HIM! OPEN FIRE!" ordered as the operatives all fired at the lone man.

He was moving even before the rounds were fired. His knife slashing through the throat of the closest trooper, snatching the Evicerator shotgun from the dying man's hands and blasting a hole through the chest of the one behind him.

Turning on his heel, he fired another shot that took another trooper off his feet and laid him out on the floor before tossing the spent shotgun away.

Another trooper emptied a whole thermal clip from his Mattock but didn't seem to cause any damage. The assailant was on him just as he finished reloading. Pointing the rifle down and forcing the agent to shoot himself in the foot before head butting him hard enough to dent his helmet and causing his head to snap back.

He stood still a moment before his body collapsed to the floor from a broken neck.

Taking the single-shot rifle. The attacker fired a direct headshot to the remaining trooper and blowing their brains out the back of their skull before turning on the Centrurion who leapt behind cover as the rounds tore through the terminal he got behind.

The Engineer also got into cover, bringing up his omni-tool and firing an incinerate in the hopes of slowing the man down as he tore through their ranks.

The assailant saw the attack coming and fired a shot that went straight through it and caused the flaming attack to disperse before it got within range. He kept his aim steady and fired two more shots. Both hitting home as the tech specialist fell dead with two holes through his cover and his helmet.

Looking at the bodies of his dead men, the Centurion got on the radio and immediately called for backup. "This is Alpha Team! We're under attack and have suffered heavy losses! He's here! The primary target is here! Send reinforc-ARGH!"

He was cut off when when his head was grabbed and smashed against the terminal he was behind. _'How did he get behind me!' _he thought as the attacker's grip on his helmet tightened before it was smashed against the computer again and again.

The attacker dropped the lifeless corpse to the floor before turning to the terminal the Cerberus team was trying to hack into.

Bringing up a blood red omni-tool, he hacked the encryption in seconds as he started downloading all the data that he had come here to get. All the while listening to the radio traffic along the local Cerberus bands. More were coming, and they were bringing in the big guns to take him down.

Good...let them try.

When the download completed he shut down his omni-tool and headed for the exit. "Your...fucked..." he paused and looked to the Assault Trooper he shot with the Evicerator. His chest wound almost gushing through the jagged pieces of twist armor.

"There are...a lot more of us...than you think..." he wheezed out. "...even if the...stories are true...you can't kill us all..."

The attacker walked across the room and stood over the dying man, **"Well see about that."** he said in an emotionless and synthetically filtered voice that would send chills down anyone's back.

The the last think the trooper saw was a large foot coming down on his head. And his reflection in the crimson visor above it.

X

A group of three Kodiac dropships flew through the air in an arrow formation toward the distress signal they had just received. Passing over the dense foliage that made up Tarus' surface as they approached the location marked on their map.

Each ship containing a squad of eight Cerberus operatives, each squad with five Assault Troopers, two Guardians and lead by a lone Centurion. All of them armed to the teeth when they got confirmation of the target they were now searching for.

The three shuttles came upon a large break in the trees where a cluster of small buildings were set up. The merc base that Alpha Team was sent to infiltrate. "We're at the target location, everyone prepare to drop!" called the pilot of the lead shuttle as they hovered fifteen feet above the ground.

Sliding the doors open, the Cerberus personnel leapt out of the openings. Activating the small thrusters in their boots to slow their decent as they touched down on the tall grass. When they all touched down they had their weapons up instantly. "Remember, the target is here. Fan out! Find him!" ordered one of the Centurions as the twenty-four men all spread out to search the surrounding buildings.

"Watch your spacing!" ordered another getting confirmation from everyone as they all tried to stay close together.

One Assault Trooper entered a supply shed with his Vindicator battle rifle up and searching for any targets. The shed was dark, only the light from the open doorway he entered being the only thing illuminating the space beyond.

He walked past the door and lowered his weapon slightly when he saw nothing of importance when someone materialized out of the air behind him. Yanking his head back and slitting his throat hard before grabbing his rifle as he dropped to the floor dead.

The attacker activated his cloak and ran out into the open. Finding another trooper patrolling, he raised the rifle and fired two three-round bursts that quickly put the man down before he knew what was happening.

Every operative in the area heard the disturbance and were converging on the location.

Running up behind another trooper with his cloak still activated, the assailant pulled the man's head back and drove his knife into his throat with a loud crunch. He picked up the agent's Scimitar shotgun as his cloak went down and shot another trooper that was running up gun blazing.

"We're taking losses! Find this fucker!" shouted one of the Centurions as they tried to regroup.

The assailant vaulted over a deactivated land rover and blasted a Guardian with the shotgun before they could get their shield up in time. Spinning on his heel, he fired another round that took out a Centuion's shields. Another blast followed that blew chunks out of the agent's armor and dropping them to the ground.

He racked the shotgun, injecting a fresh thermal clip as he switched to the battle rifle and began sprinting toward a nearby building. Leaping into the air and landing on to the roof before firing several bursts into the trooper that had been standing overwatch.

Half of the remaining Cerberus operatives gathered around the area beneath the building and taking cover among a group of crates as they fired on the rooftop. "Take him out!" shouted one of them as they kept up the assault.

Scooping up the dead operative's Revenant machine gun. The assailant rained a salvo of rounds down on to the agents below. A Guardian and a trooper falling in the assault before the weapon's large thermal clip ran empty.

Tossing the weapon aside the man leapt from rooftop, fist cocked back as a surge of energy coursed through him.

Slamming the fist into the ground of the center of the group of operatives sending them all falling back in several directions and killing one of them. He took out the battle rifle and emptied the thermal clip into two more troopers before reloading.

A Centurion saw what happened and got behind his shield as he fired his Tempest SMG at the attacker.

Seeing the lone operative, the assailant got behind a nearby crate. Kicking it with all his strength and sending it flying across the ground and crushing the Centurion against the wall of a nearby building.

The surviving members of the large squad regrouped and stayed close together as they continued the search.

From his hiding spot, the assailant cloaked before moving out into the open again. Taking out a trooper with a three round burst to the head before changing targets to an explosive barrel that detonated when the rounds struck it and taking another operative with it.

He moved quickly through the grass and into the space between two buildings were he found another trooper close to where the explosion went off and took him down with a few controlled bursts from the rifle. With him dead, the weapon started beeping and ejected the used thermal clip to avoid overheating.

_**"Ammunition Depleted."**_ spoke a deep monotone voice in his ear as he walked out into the open again where the remaining seven Cerberus operatives had him surrounded. "There he is! Whose got him!" said the Centurion as they all started to close in.

"Maverick drop your weapons!" ordered one of the troopers.

"Don't let him move!" said the Guardian

"Drop. Your. Weapons." demanded the Centurion as they sealed off any chance of escape.

Maverick stood unmoving in his nano suit as he observed his odds. Tagging all seven men as he planned his next attack. _**"Tactical Options Available."**_he started chuckling humorlessly as he dropped the spent rifle to the ground. **"Welcome to hell assholes."** he said quickly drawing the bow that was on his back and firing an arrow.

The Guardian fell dead as the bolt flew through the slot in his shield an pierced his forehead.

All the other operatives opened fire as the bow reloaded itself via the clip attached to the side as he drew the string back again. _**"Maximum Armor."**_ the rounds bounced off of the hardened weave of the nano suit as he fired another arrow and took down a trooper.

He rushed the squad, fist cocked back as he slammed it against the nearest trooper's face and sending him crashing into a nearby wall where he remained motionless. Drawing his knife, he spun around and rammed the blade into the right eyepiece of a third trooper trying to flank him.

Using the dead soldier as a shield, he grabbed the heavy pistol of his belt and shot the remaining two Assault Troopers dead before turning to the Centurion who found himself all alone. The agent sprayed gunfire in his direction with his assault rifle, but the nano soldier ducked behind the cover of a nearby crate at the last minute.

_**"Cloak Engaged."**_ no longer visible. Maverick treaded around the lone Centurion as he searched for the nano soldier.

"You think you've won here?" the man called out sweeping with his weapon. "You have no idea who you've pissed off. The Illusive Man won't stop until he finds you. And when he does...you'll be begging to die." the operative fired into a nearby building when he saw a shadow move.

"WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU!" he roared searching left and right for the Post-Human.

**"Here."** The man spun around only for a heavy foot to connect with his chest plate. Denting the hard metal of the armor and sending him skidding across the dirt, dropping his rifle in the process.

Maverick reappeared and stalked toward the downed man as he tried to breath with the crushed metal squeezing down on his chest and lungs. "Go ahead...kill me. Won't do you any good..." wheezed the operative.

**"I will."** said the nano soldier as he stood over the struggling man. **"But first your going to send a message to your boss."** he reached down and grabbed the Centurion by the throat and brought him up to eye level. **"I know that each of your suits has a video and audio feature that The Illusive Man can tap into at a moments notice."**

He took the pistol he had grabbed off of the Assault Trooper from before as he spoke, **"Listen up Jack, I'm sick of your dogs sticking their noses where they don't belong. So take this as my last message."** he pressed the barrel to the man's head as he started to struggle in the nano soldier's grasp. **"Stay the fuck out of my way."** the gun went off, splattering the Centurion's brains across the ground.

Tossing the gun and the dead man aside, Maverick turned and headed into the dense jungle that surrounded the now empty merc base. _**"More Cerberus Personnel Inbound."**_ said the AI in the suit.

**"Doesn't matter, we got what we came for."** replied Maverick as he approached a small clearing. Waving his omni-tool in the air, a pitch black Kodiac shuttle appeared. The two front sides of the craft hefting two heavy machine guns and the overall body looking sleeker in design compared to a normal Kodiac.

Opening the doors, the Post-Human got inside and sat in the pilot's chair. Starting up the engines and lifting off from the planet's surface as he headed toward the atmosphere.

Once in orbit, he saw two Cerberus ships sitting idle. Obviously waiting for a response from the surface team that they wouldn't be getting.

He hit a few buttons on the console. _**"Stealth Systems Engaged." **_said Prophet as the small ship vanished from sight and from sensors as it flew past the larger vessels at a safe distance. No one even knowing what had happened or that their target had slipped away completely unnoticed as the small ship activated its FTL drive and shot off into space.

X

Once far enough away, the nano soldier switched the Kodiac to auto pilot before leaning back in the seat and removing his helmet.

Alex Drake had changed a lot in the last year. His once shaved head was now down to his ears, his scarred face now sported a dark five o'clock shadow that to many almost seemed permanent.

But the biggest change of all was his eyes. The grey orbs that held determination, courage and a bit of a humoress side were now the color of steel. Sharp, calculating, and in many cases...cold. Dark purple bruises under both of them signifying that he hadn't been sleeping well in a long time.

His life had never been easy. Even more so when he died in his world and was catapulted across time and space to a universe he believed to be fiction by an omnipotent and omnipresent being he also thought was fiction.

The Crysis universe was his first stop. It was there he gained the nano suit, and all the powers it grants the wearer with almost none of the drawbacks. With it he fought CELL, the Ceph, and managed to save New York City like a true hero.

From there he was transported to here. The Mass Effect universe, were he was destined to help Commander Shepard put an end to the Reapers and save the galaxy from complete genocide.

With his skills, his abilities, and even his knowledge of this universe he helped the crew of the _Normandy_ overcome everything that got into their path. Saving lives were they should have died in the regular timeline while secretly gathering evidence to prove the Reaper's existence.

On his journey, Alex made a lot of good friends. Good allies. And even found love.

He had fallen for Jane Shepard. And she for him. The two connected on a level that left many in a state of awe. They fit together so perfectly that it almost seemed natural, and the two of them were happy. Happier than anyone else could be in the verse.

_**"Incoming Transmission."**_ chimed Prophet.

Alex activated the vid-screen as a female Quarian wearing a black and red enviro-suit appeared. "Alex, were you successful?" she asked a little hesitantly.

The Post-Human held up the OSD he had made from the files he ripped from the terminal planet-side. "Got everything right here, Reena. Prophet hacked it with no problem and we now have everything we need." he said with a ghost of a smile.

Reena let out a breath in relief. "Thank Keelah. When we picked up several Cerberus IFFs in the area we started to get nervious."

"Everything's fine. Tell Zen and Chellick to cool it until I get back to base. I should be there in about four days." replied Alex.

The Quarian nodded, "Should I tell our friend that we have what she was looking for?" she asked.

"Yeah, let her know and set up a time where she wants to meet. It would be a breath of fresh air seeing her again." Alex said as his voice started to go hollow toward the end of the sentence.

His long time friend picked up the change immediately, "You okay?" she asked concerned.

The nano soldier didn't reply. The same answer any of them got when they asked him that question when he got like this. "It's been a year...hasn't it?" Reena asked after a moment.

Alex nodded slowly, "A year to the day..." he said barely above a whisper.

Reena's heart ached seeing her friend like this. It had been this way for a whole year. Every passing month things seemed to have gotten easier, but she and the others knew that the pain went so deep that he could cover it all too well.

"It wasn't your fault, Alex." the Quarian said after a long silence. "I know you get sick of hearing it all the time, but it's the truth. Me and everyone else knows that you did everything you could to-"

"I don't want to talk about it Reena." Alex said sharply cutting her off.

Reena threw her arms up, "That's just it Alex! You never want to talk about it! You may try to hide your pain and suffering but we all see it! _Everyday_ we watch as our friend dies more and more inside. You barely sleep anymore, barely eat, you throw yourself into increasingly dangerous missions weekly!"

She took a breath after her rant and continued, "I know your hurting. And we're here for you. But you have to let us help you...is this what she would have wanted?"

Alex was silent, eyes staring blankly at the shuttle controls before him. When he spoke his voice was dead and hollow. "I'll be there in four days. See you then." he said shutting down the transmission. He didn't want to talk about what happened that day. The day that he regretted more than anything in his entire life, no matter what universe he was in.

Reaching into his suit, he pulled out a set of dog tags. The metal dented and scratched by the events of the past but still very much readable.

**'Cmdr Jane Shepard'**

Alex ran his gloved fingers over the name delicately. His heart clenching the longer her looked at the tags. His mind drifting back to better times. Back when things were at their happiest despite what had happened not long before.

Letting the tags fall to his chest, the Post-Human leaned back in the pilot's seat and put his head back as his thoughts went through his head like a parade from hell. Remembering how things went from happy and carefree...to a nightmare that he couldn't wake up from.

Reena was wrong. She just didn't know it.

He was at fault for what happened. His inactions had cost him the one thing in the galaxy that brought him peace and love. He truly was to blame for what had happened. And his penance was to suffer via guilt and regret.

As his eyes slowly drifted closed, Alex thought back to when it all began. Shortly after Sovereign's defeat, before things went horribly wrong.

_**A/N: It has officially begun. And with Alex's mind and heart in turmoil I know that you all will want answers fast. The next chapter or two will be one big flashback that will go into detail about what he was talking about. And you all know me, my updates are damn good when it comes to this stuff!**_

_**Let the Reviews come forth, and thou shalt be rewarded with a quick update.**_


	2. Past that Haunts You

_**A/N: Over 20 Reviews already, man that's one hell of a start. After tinkering with a few things I decided to really tamper with canon a bit. This chapter won't have hardly any changes but it will lead up to some in the next. This is also one of a two-part flashback sequence that will lay the ground work for the rest of the story and give you all insight in what is going to happen soon.**_

_**As an added warning, this chapter is mostly all dialogue with some sappy love stuff and a shocking twist at the end. So I apologise in advance if it makes a few of you question what the hells going to happen after this, but that's what I want. Because after this things are not going to be the same.**_

_**I own nothing.**_

**Alexander 'Maverick' Drake**

**Alex's Apartment - Citadel**

**September 19, 2183 - 07:30 hours**

_**(One Year Ago)**_

The artificial sun of the station's day cycle shone brightly through the bedroom window, casting a bright glow on the two occupants curled up together in the bed.

Alex's eyes snapped open almost instantly. His body hardwired to wake up at a certain time everyday thanks to his training and the amount of combat he had been in.

He looked down and smiled at the head of red hair that was still sleeping peacefully on his chest. It had taken a bit of work to convince Jane to stay at his place instead of a hotel. As usual, her stubbornness had kicked in and she said she didn't want to be any trouble.

But in the end she broke down and agreed when he explained to her that they were in a relationship and that he would be happy to have her there. They'd spent the last few weeks at his place and things were going very well.

The two Spectres had much deserved time off after saving the galaxy from Sovereign and the Geth. And they spent that time getting to know one another on a much deeper level. She talked about her family and all the good times she had with them while living on Mindoir, she also talked about her military training and her time as an N7.

Alex talked about his family, and his own training and the time he spent as a Marine before he 'wound up in New York' fighting the Ceph.

He had never told Jane or any of their friends about where he was really from, but he didn't want to reveal his true past and the meeting with the Librarian. More often then not, he felt that he should tell them of what is coming.

But the issue with that was not only the repercussions that would come about, but also the fact that he didn't have any evidence to prove it like he did from his time in the Crysis universe.

Running his hand through the Commander's hair, the nano soldier felt her stir a moment before her jade green eyes opened slowly. "Mornin darlin." Alex said letting his southern drawl creep out.

Jane smiled up at him. "What time is it?" she asked stretching a bit before curling back into him again.

"Just after 7:30." replied Alex causing her to groan.

"We've got a meeting with the Council later. I'm really not looking forward to that." she said rubbing her eyes.

The Council had supposedly kept their word about looking into the Reaper threat. But the couple knew that it was only a front to make it seem like they were doing something. So far it was only Anderson that truly held the faith when it came to the race of ancient machines.

It was pissing Alex off to no end, but he and Prophet had already started building a contingency plan for when they attempted to brush everything about the Reapers aside.

"Neither am I. But we still have to go and listen to them bitch, the down side to our so called 'awesome jobs'." said Alex as he rolled out of bed and started getting dressed.

"Do we have to get up? It's still early." Jane said sitting up and wrapping the sheets around her bare form.

The Post-Human shrugged as he slipped on jeans and a black t-shirt, "Fine, but you'll miss breakfast." he said over his shoulder heading out the door. He smirked when he heard her get up and dress quickly. One of the many things Jane had learned about him in the time she was staying there was that he could cook pretty damn well.

He was in the kitchen for a total of 30 seconds when she came in behind him wearing a black tank top and a pair of his boxers with her hair up in a pony tail. "So what's for breakfast?" she asked hopping up on to the counter.

"Texas toast with a side of scrambled eggs and bacon." said Alex taking out everything he needed to make it.

Jane smiled, "Sounds really good. Need a hand?"

The nano soldier s chuckled and shook his head, "I've got it darlin. You sure you even wanna risk it after the waffle incident last week here?" he asked raising an eyebrow at her.

"So I'm a little out of practice with cooking. Don't go holding it against me just because I've had to live off of military rations for so long." she replied with a pointed look.

Alex raised his hands in surrender before he started cooking. Jane watching him go about it while making a little small talk about the on-goings of the Citadel.

The clean up had begun not long after Sovereign's destruction. All of the Council species sent out search and rescue teams to locate the missing and dead while everyone began to rebuild. But it would be a long time until everything would be back to normal again.

Even though they had time off, the two Spectres were hounded every time they left the apartment. The press, military officials, political heads, everyone wanted a piece of both Jane and Alex.

It was sheer luck and skill that Alex was able to keep his identity from getting out as Maverick. But they both managed to get by with as little trouble as possible.

Sitting down at the table together to eat, Jane perked up when she remembered something. "I got a message from Wrex the other day. He's already coming up with plans to get all the Krogan together, and several members in his clan have already begun rallying behind him." she said before taking a bite of eggs.

"If there was ever anyone to get the Krogan to become a united species again it would be him." replied Alex. "Let's just hope that some of your diplomacy rubbed off on him."

"Or it could have been you setting him straight on Virmire. Your pretty diplomatic yourself a lot of the time you know." said Jane.

Alex shrugged, "Maybe, but you're the one with the silver tongue between the two of us." he said chuckling at the blush that appeared on her face. "What about Kaidan, anything new with him?"

"His rehab sessions have gone well. He basically had to learn how to control his biotics all over again with the new implant. But he said that since he won't have to worry about exploding or the migraines ever again he's happy with it." said the Commander.

Almost everyone in their team had been separated. Wrex heading back to the Krogan home world and Kaidan recovering from what happened on Virmire was only the start.

Garrus had returned to C-Sec. He was welcomed back with open arms and was honored for helping the first two Human Spectres save the galaxy. But he had told them more than once that he missed going out and doing the right thing without having to deal with all the red tape.

Tali was still on her pilgrimage, even though the Geth data Alex had given her would have made a more than worthy gift to find her place among the flotilla she wanted to stick around the _Normandy_ just a little longer before returning to her people.

Though everyone could see that she just wanted to be a little closer to Joker before she had to go back.

Liara had also stayed on the ship. She had found good friends among the crew and had vowed to stay with them for a little longer before going back to researching what she could on the Protheans. Now that she had seen the truth behind their extinction, she was going to find as much valuable data as she could to help prevent the cycle of genocide from continuing.

As for her mother, after Benezia had been freed from Sovereign's indoctrination thanks to Alex and Prophet she had vowed to do what she could to ensure that nothing like this ever happened again. She'd taken a shuttle to Feros to make peace with Shiala for what she had done to her before heading to Thessia to report what she had seen and endured to the Asari higher ups.

She had promised Liara that she would stay in touch better than she had before. The mother and daughter had truly never been closer.

Ashley was also staying with the _Normandy_. Even though she and Garrus had started a relationship, she still said that she had a duty to serve aboard the ship with the two Spectres. The inter-species couple had gone on a several dates since the battle ended, one of them was a double date with Alex and Jane that all of them had a blast during.

Quite a few people were surprised at the relationship that the two had formed, especially with Ash's past xenophobic beliefs. But thanks to her talks with Alex on the _Normandy_ she had come out of that shell and Garrus was helping even more the longer they were together.

Everything seemed to be going their way. But it didn't feel that way.

Alex knew what was coming next, and that it was only a matter of time before the Council sent them out to 'deal with the rest of the Geth'. And where the Collectors would be waiting for them.

He'd been trying to find a way to get around it but nothing would have made sense. Thinking about just flat out telling Jane crossed his mind for the umpteenth time in a few days but he shoved it back down into his mind. There just had to be another way to get her out of there alive.

Jane could feel it too. She may not have known what he did, but the Commander could tell that something bad was going to happen soon. The fact that the Council had been very brief when they talked to them about the Reaper threat also didn't do them any favors.

The couple had spent two separate nights talking about it. Both were frustrated that the three original Councilors were going to pull the same shit they had before when they wanted to go after Saren on Ilos. Of course, with Anderson now on the Council there was hope that, that wouldn't happen.

"When do we have to meet with the Council today?" asked Alex as he cleared the table when they were finished.

"At two o'clock in the Council chambers. They just finished clearing it all out all the debris and got most of the repairs done." replied Jane heading back down the hall to the bedroom. "I'm grabbing a shower...want to join me?" she asked slipping the tank top over her head and tossing it aside as she gave him a sinful look over her shoulder.

Alex grinned before following after the beautiful red-head.

X

**Alexander 'Maverick' Drake**

**Council Chambers - Citadel Tower**

**September 19, 2183 - 14:02 hours**

Being back in this place after the battle seemed too surreal. It was only a little over three weeks ago that they fought Saren's corpse as it was being controlled by Sovereign, the super powered Husk being taken down with all of them going at it with everything they had.

Even though the atrium was still a wreck, the place was almost completely back to normal thanks to the rebuilding efforts. Many people just wanting things to go back to the way they were before.

But to those involved in the battle, there was no going back after this.

After spending most of the morning in the shower doing everything but actually getting clean. Jane and Alex spent a little time relaxing together before getting into their armor and heading to the Citadel tower. Alex taking them in his skycar and parking in a section reserved for Spectres when they're called in.

The couple walked up the small flight of stairs and into the Council chambers where the four representatives were waiting for them. "Councilors." said Jane slipping into her business persona as they both stood shoulder to shoulder together.

"Commander, Maverick. I trust that your time off has proven to be beneficial?" asked Tevos.

**"Once you get past the press hounding us and every political dignitary wanting us on their side, it was rather nice to have a little time off."** said Alex with his voice filtered.

"It comes with the territory of being in the Spectres I'm afraid." said Valern. "And given your achievements during your fight against Saren and the Geth."

And there it was. The first subtle hint that the Council was starting to disprove the existence of the Reapers. Alex kept his mouth shut as Jane spoke. "You forget that it was Sovereign that was in control Councilor."

"Yes, we are still very much aware of the Reaper's attempt. And thanks to your efforts it failed in opening the Citadel relay." said Sparatus stiffly. "And since the rest of its kind have no access to the galaxy, everyone can breathe a bit easier."

**"A bit easier?"** Alex asked skeptical. **"Sovereign was the gatekeeper left behind by the rest of the Reapers to let them through when the time came. Just because the front door is locked doesn't mean they won't find another way in." **

"Maverick is right." said Anderson. "If the Reapers reside in dark space, there is no telling when or where they will come."

"Listen to what your saying." said Sparatus with a shake of his head. "You talking something returning from 'dark space'. Nothing could survive out there, it's not possible."

"They're machines Councilor. And you saw what Sovereign are capable of." said Jane. "It blew right through your fleet and destroyed several Alliance ships as it tried to gain control of the Citadel. That kind of power is beyond anything anyone has ever faced before."

**"You failed to heed our warnings once, and it almost cost us everything."** said Alex crossing his arms. **"Don't make the same mistakes because your fear is clouding your judgement."**

The Turian Councilor bristled and was about to say something back when Tevos interrupted. "We are well aware of the situation involving the Reapers. However, this is not why we have called you to this meeting."

Everything slowly settled down before she spoke again, "We have received reports of suspicious activity along our boarders close to the Terminus Systems." said the Asari Councilor. "Three ships have gone missing in the last two weeks. We believe that the last remnants of the Geth that followed Saren and Sovereign may have had something to do with it."

"Are we sure that it's the Geth? The Terminus Systems are filled with mercs and slavers, chances are they could have been responsible." said Jane.

"We believed the same at first." said Valern. "But from what we could gather, the three missing ships were attacked and taken out with such speed and precision that nothing was left behind. No transmissions, no escape pods, not even wreckage. But there is a factor that did make it seem just a little more odd."

**"And that being?" **asked Alex.

"The crew of all three vessels were Human." said Anderson. "It's no surprise that anyone in the Terminus could hold a grudge against Council Space. But targeting three vessels and leaving nothing behind is troubling. And that's why we called you here."

"The _Normandy_ is the only ship equiped with the proper stealth systems to get close enough to the Terminus border and not risk an intergalactic incident." said Tevos. "That is why we wish to send you and your crew out to investigate the missing ships, and eliminate any Geth that you find in the region."

"And if the Geth are not the true cause?" asked Jane.

"The very same applies if you discover Geth." said Sparatus.

The two Spectres looked at one another, and could tell that the other had a sense of foreboding that didn't sit well with them. **"We'll contact our crew and head out immediately, Councilors." **said Alex after a moment.

The meeting came to a close not long after that. Jane and Alex walked down the steps into the atrium as they discussed what they had been told. **"You know they're just trying to shut us up about the Reapers right?" **asked the nano soldier as they stepped around a Keeper that was helping in the repairs.

"I know. It seems more like they're trying to forget everything that Sovereign was in the hopes everything will go back to normal." said Jane with a sigh. "Ash was right, this is why people hate politics."

"Surely not all politics are bad." the two turned and saw Anderson approaching them.

**"Councilor."** said Alex grinning under his visor.

Anderson waved him off, "I just wanted to speak with the two of you before you set out." he said in a hushed tone. "After reading the reports on the missing ships I got a bad feeling. There haven't been any Geth attacks since Sovereign's defeat. To simply assume that it's the Geth would make sense, but why wait so long after the failed attack on the Citadel? Geth are machines, but they wouldn't just attack like that unless there's a reason to."

"So you think that it's something else too huh?" asked Jane

The Human Councilor nodded, "I do. But I can't prove it. There is a possibility that it is the Geth, but something in my gut tells me that it's something else. I just want the both of you to be careful out there."

**"We will Anderson. You just handle the home front, and we'll get back to you when we figure out what's going on out there." **said Alex.

Anderson nodded, "I have to get back. Being a Councilor's a rough job, kinda makes me miss being in the Alliance." he said cast a glance at Jane who grinned.

"There was no one else perfect enough for the job, Anderson. At least now I know there's someone on the Council that we can actually count on." replied the Commander.

The Councilor chuckled, "True enough. Good luck out there you two." he said before heading back to the chambers.

**"He's on our side, but I think the rest of the Council will keep looking down on us like we don't really matter."** said Alex crossing his arms. **"Personally...I'll never stop hating politics."**

"Do you regret becoming a Spectre?" asked Jane as they headed back to the skycar.

The nano soldier looked down at her before reaching out and grasping her hand. **"Yes and No. Yes because I'm stuck being under the Council's thumb and have to follow their rules when they don't think I'm doing anything right."** He gripped her hand gently. **"And no, because it got me closer to you."**

The Commander smiled, "Good."

X

It had taken them a few hours to get into contact will the crew and had them assemble on the _Normandy_. When they all got together the two Spectres explained the situation and told them that they would be heading out within the next 30 hours.

Everyone was more than ready to get back into action after having some well deserved time off. Ashley being one of them since her leg had finished healing a week ago and she hated that she missed out on the final fight.

They had all gathered at Flux to have one last night together before heading off into the unknown once more. Garrus, Chellick and Reena joining them since they all had become so close since the attack on the station.

"So, another long perril filled mission huh?" asked Chellick with his arm around his Quarian bride-to-be. Their wedding was in another three months, and every one of their friends were more than ready to watch the couple tie the knot.

"Guess so, but this is mainly just a recon mission." said Jane taking a sip of her drink.

"More like a way to keep everything quiet around here." said Garrus. "Ever since we proved them wrong about Saren and the Reapers they've done a lot of back tracking to cover up anything that might cause a public panic."

"Stupid politicians..." muttered Ashley from his right. "At least Anderson's on the Council."

Alex had been quiet the whole time and barely touched his first drink. Reena noticed this and set her own drink down, "You alright Alex? You haven't been talking much."

The nano soldier shrugged and downed his shot of whisky in one go. "A lot on my mind. Been trying to wrap my head around this upcoming mission."

It was true, ever since they had been told about the missing ships Alex was hit with a large wave of deja du. And ever since then he'd been in his own head trying to come up with a way that would avoid the _Normandy_ being destroyed. But so far nothing would make sense.

"What's on your mind?" asked Jane.

"It doesn't feel right." he replied simply, "Three ships going missing without a trace. It could mean a number of things, but something feels very off. I haven't had this kind of feeling since New York."

"What else could be out there? I mean it is the Terminus Systems." said Joker leaning back in his chair.

"Guess we'll find out when we find them." said Ashley.

Alex was still lost in his head. Jane patted the side of his face bringing him back to the present. "Everything will be fine, I promise."

If only he could believe her this time.

X

The rest of the night was spent drinking, dancing and just having a good time. When it all came winding down everyone either stumbled or walked back to where they were staying. Garrus and Ashley went together, most likely to have one last night together before they were separated.

Alex and Jane walked hand in hand back toward Alex's apartment. The couple had, had a good time like everyone else and were ready to just curl up in bed until they had to meet at the ship with the rest of the crew the next day.

Entering the apartment, they kicked off their shoes and headed to the bedroom. "Alex, are you sure your okay?" asked Jane as they got ready to go to sleep.

Alex pulled his t-shirt off and sat on the edge of the bed. "I..." he hesitated. There was no other way to go about this. No matter how much it might suck, he had to tell her the truth and hope for the best.

Jane sat down next to him and pulled his face to the side to meet her gaze. "Listen, I know your scared. Hell I am too. After everything we've faced and what's coming our way, we have every right to feel a little afraid. But that's what makes us stronger as people...and stronger as a couple."

The Post-Human sighed; "I know Jane. It's just...I feel like I could lose you if I dont..." he paused. The thought of losing this woman scared him more than the Reapers ever could, it was a fear that plagued his ever thought almost everyday. "I just can't lose you. After everything we've faced, and how much I've come to rely on your presence. I don't know what might happen."

Jane rubbed his shoulder, "I feel the same way. Like this is all a dream and I could wake up at any moment. That's why I make the most of every moment we have." She reached up and undid the clasp on her dog tags, putting them in her hand before placing them in Alex's and closing his fingers around them. "I want you to have these, Alex. As a reminder that no matter where you are, I'm always there with you."

Alex gripped the tags in his hand and smiled, "I wish I had something to give you."

Jane laughed lightly as her arms wound around his neck, her forehead pressed against his. "You are all I need. We both have been alone all this time, taking on challenges no one in their right mind could face. And yet here we are."

Setting the tags aside, Alex held the Commander's waist as he kissed her. "You know, you sounded like a cheesy romance novel just now right?"

The red-head smacked his arm before shimmying out of her pants and crawling under he covers, "Shut up and get into bed soldier. We've got a long day tomorrow."

He gave a mock-salute, "Yes ma'am." he said before crawling in next to her. Jane curling her small, curvy frame into his as she got comfortable.

As they drifted off to sleep, Alex realized that even though things may seem the same as they were in the game, things could be changed just as easily in real life. Because to him, this was life now. And he would do whatever it took to make sure that everything would turn out okay for everyone involved.

Wrapping his arms around the woman he loved, the nano soldier joined her in the land of dreams. Thoughts of the impending future the farthest thing from his mind. The only thing that mattered to him was the one in his arms.

X

**Alexander 'Maverick' Drake**

_**SSV Normandy**_** - Cargo Bay**

**September 30, 2183 - 11:10 hours**

Emergency lights and alarms rang out through the entire ship. Fires raged out of control as the vessel shook from an explosion on one of the upper decks.

In his nano suit, Alex used his enhanced strength to lift a collapsed chunk of bulkhead off one of the crew that was pinned under it before helping them to the nearby escape pod.

Adams, Tali and a few other people from the engine room helped take the man inside and get him in a seat as another explosion rocked the ship. "What the hell's going on up there! What's attacking us!" shouted one of the crewmen inside the escape pod.

Alex looked around the wrecked cargo bay, the metal of the hull creaked from the hits it had taken and wouldn't last much longer. **"Get out of here!" **he shouted to the crew.

"What about you?" asked Tali both worried for him and terrified about the situation.

**"I'm heading up to the upper decks, make sure that everyone else made it off. Don't worry I'll be fine." **he replied heading to the elevator.

"The lift is out! You'll never make it!" shouted Adams.

The nano soldier spun around, omni-tool flared as the controls for the pod was hacked. The doors slammed shut and the pod was shot from the _Normandy_ before any of them knew what had happened.

Satisfied that the surviving crew on this level were safe, Alex headed to the elevator door and grabbed the bottom. _**"Maximum Power."**_ the metal creaked and groaned loudly as the Post-Human used all his strength to pull the large reinforced door open.

The inside was a mess. The lift had collapsed from one of the attacks that hit the ship and laid in a mangled mess at the bottom level. **"This won't stop me."** he said looking up the shaft to where the crew deck was located.

Bracing himself, he leapt into the shaft and grabbed a ledge that was a third of the way up. Pulling upward, he launched himself the rest of the way and grabbed the base of the door leading out.

Using what little space there was, Alex braced his left knee on the ledge and grabbed the bottom of the door like he did the one in the cargo hold. _**"Maximum Power."**_ Pulling with all his strength, the door groaned in protest as it opened just wide enough.

Rolling inside, the large door slammed shut behind him as he got to his feet.

The Crew deck was almost completely in flames. The charred corpses of a few unlucky servicemen laid around making the nano soldier feel guilt seep into his chest. _'No! No time for that, get moving!'_ he shouted in his head as he ran up the stairs leading to the CIC.

He approached the door and prepared himself to enter. _**"Air Seals Engaged. Magnetic Boots Engaged." **_chimed Prophet as the door slid open, sucking air out of the stair well as Alex stepped out into the CIC which made the rest of the ship look better.

The CIC was a complete disaster. A large hole was ripped into the roof revealing the many stars out in the void and the planet they had been close to at the time of the attack. The light from said planet illuminating the many terminals and chairs that had been ripped out-of-place and was now floating in zero-gravity along with three dead bodies.

The galaxy map flashed and sparked from the damage it suffered as large chunks of the hull began to break off from the weakened structure.

Moving slowly so that his mag-boots stuck right while in the vacuüm. Alex made his way through the ruined CIC toward the bridge. Pushing several chairs out of the way so that he could see better.

Up ahead, a kinetic barrier was erected to seal off the cockpit where Jane was helping Joker out of his seat and toward the escape pod nearby. Relieved to see that she was alright, Alex began to move a little quicker forward.

_**"Warning: Attack Imminent."**_ he spun around and saw the large, hive-shaped ship come back around. It's main weapon charging just before a beam of super heated energy shot through the air and sliced into the already disabled _Normandy_.

_**"Danger Level: Increasing."**_ warned Prophet as the beam began to draw closer to him. Alex turned back to the bridge and began moving as fast as he could. Leaping the last couple of feet and landing in time as the back half of the ship was cut away and began to drift from the front end.

The nano soldier kept moving. The remaining piece of ship wouldn't last much longer and he had to reach Jane before-

Another beam of energy cut into the cockpit. Sending Jane flying back out of the way as Joker shouted to her from the escape pod. As the beam cut farther and farther, the Commander made a split second decision.

She punched the eject panel for the escape pod. Sealing the door and sending it away as a small explosion ripped her away from the console and sending her slamming against the bulkhead. A second explosion sent her into the opposite bulkhead before she drifted down the length of the bridge.

Alex caught her after seeing the two small explosions. But the impact sent them both flying off into the empty void. One last shot from the enemy vessel struck the engine core causing the large part of the _Normandy_ to explode in a massive fireball.

The two Spectres were thrown from the blast, Alex clinging to Jane as they were lost among the rest of the debris.

Then he saw it. Air leaking out of her hard suit from three separate locations, caused by her hitting the bulkhead so hard from the explosions.

Spinning her around, Alex brought up his omni-tool and began dispensing omni-gel to cover the suit ruptures. Jane's green eyes widened behind her helmet's clear visor seeing him in the same situation as her, but relaxed as her air supply slowly began to regulate.

Patching up two of the holes, the Post-Human began to work on the last one when something out of the corner of his eye caught his attention.

One of the _Normandy's _engines floated by them among the small debris field. Orange and blue flames poking out of the cracks along the surface as it drew closer.

Time seemed to slow to a crawl. Alex looked into Jane's eyes. Jane looked back into his red visor. Everything around them ceased to exist, for just a brief moment it seemed that it was just the two of them floating there.

The engine exploded. The blast was so close that it damaged their suits and ripped them apart. Sending both Spectres flying in separate directions. Alex toward the empty void of space. And Jane toward the nearby planet.

Alex's breath came out in pants as his HUD flickered violently from the blast. He righted himself as best he could while in zero-gravity and looked for Jane. When he found her his blood froze in his veins.

Her body hurdled toward the planet, the blast taking her so far that he could barely see her anymore...then he saw a small speck of light close to the planet's atmosphere. "No..." his voice rang from within the helmet. "No." he said louder as tears built up in his eyes.

"NO! JAAAAAAANNNNNNEEEE!" he screamed out. His heart feeling like it was being ripped apart by a wild animal. His cries of anguish muffled by the suffocating, cold darkness of space as he floated helpless in the vacuum.

_**"Suit Integrity Compromised."**_

_**"Life Support System Failing."**_

_**"Emergency Lock Down Initiated."**_

All of the nano suit's non-essential functions shut down as Prophet began to make repairs to save Alex from death. But the Post-Human didn't care. his eyes locked on to where he last saw Jane and remained unblinking.

_**"Suit Integrity Critical: 9%"**_

_**"Repairs in Progress."**_

The AI's words fell on deaf ears. As he floated in the blackness, Alex felt something die within him. His chest ached with a pain that was far worse than any wound he had ever received.

While he slipped into unconsciousness, the cold slowly starting to seep into his bones, he could only think of one thing and one thing only.

Jane Shepard, the woman he had fallen in love with, was dead...and it was his fault.

_**A/N: Even the strong, can be rendered weak when they lose what they love most. But it also can change them...in ways that you can't possibly imagine. The next chapter is still in the past and will explain a lot more and will also reveal major changes to canon before jumping back to the 'present'. And I know a lot of you have even more questions now than you ever have before, don't worry, each of them will be answered in due time.**_

_**Update coming soon! So stay tuned.**_


	3. Enough is Enough

**_A/N: Hello all. My updates have been slown down a bit because I have to plan out the next few chapters very carefully to set the stage for the rest of the story. A lot of you are worried I'll burn myself out, and that's also the case. But I intend on keeping my updates going as best I can without straining myself or the ideas I have going on._**

**_After some work I decided to extend the 'flashback chapters' by one more. Simply because I want to explain exactly how things are to the best of my abilities before sending everything to the 'present time' of the story. And this chapter here will have a few twists that none of you could have seen coming._**

**_I own nothing_**

_The ice-cold seeped into every pore. His bones, joints and muscles felt like they were frozen solid. But the aching pain in his chest still persisted. Like a shattered bone that refused to heal. _

_Just when it felt like the ice would consume him completely. Something changed._

_Warm, numbness began to fill his being. From the tips of his finger and toes and spreading out through his entire body. The cold was beaten back until his whole frame felt numb and weightless. But the pain remained. Almost like nothing could ever stop it._

_And he knew deep down that nothing ever would._

_X_

_Alex opened his eyes and found himself back in the ethereal plane that looked like a Forerunner world. The very same place that he had been brought to a few times before. The place where he had met the Librarian when he died at the start of his journey._

_The nano soldier sat up slowly, his body aching in protest even in this realm of existence. He sat on the large ledge overlooking the open sky where several structures in the distance moved on their own accord. _

_But he didn't notice the sight. His eyes were dead and hollow, his body numb from what he had witnessed and endured not too long ago. _

_From behind him, the sound of light footsteps and the swishing of a long robe on the metal floor was heard as he continued to gaze sightless out into the emptiness. "...Why am I here?" he asked. His voice rough and emotionless as the omnipotent being stopped just behind him._

_**"I heard your spirit crying in agony."**__ said the Librarian. __**"I have only ever felt such pain a handful of times before...the pain of a broken heart and soul."**_

_Alex felt a tear slip down his face. "She's gone...after everything I did, everything I hoped for...nothing changed..." he gritted his teeth. "I should have warned her! Told her the truth! But no, I had to...had to...DAMMIT!" he roared slamming his fist into the ground next to him leaving a dent in the metal. _

_The Librarian remained still as the Post-Human leapt to his feet and started pacing. "I could have done something! I could have saved her life, but instead I kept it all to myself. And because of that she's DEAD!" he ranted "Why couldn't it have been me? Why did it have to be her? Why couldn't I..." _

_He fell to his knees as more tears began to fall. "Why couldn't I save her? Haven't I suffered enough?" Alex looked at the Librarian, for the first time in a long time he felt weak. Defeated. His heart was in pieces and the only one capable of putting it back together was now gone. "Why didn't anything change?"_

_The ancient Forerunner approached him slowly, __**"Even though smaller events can change the effects of those that are larger. It does not stop the outcome of those larger events. Much like a river cannot change its flow when you throw stones into it."**__ she said sagely. "__**You cannot change what fate has set in motion, Alexander. Try as you might, certain events are meant to happen regardless of the changes you try to make."**_

_"But I saved Ash and Kaidan on Virmire. Neither of them died when one of them should have. Why couldn't I save Jane?" he asked almost pleading._

_**"That scenario is only but a branch of the main outcome." **__said the Librarian. __**"In this universe, two events could never have been changed no matter how hard you fight against it. Commander Shepard's demise was one of those events."**_

_Alex clenched his fists in rage, "And the other is the Reapers' arrival." His glare turned on her. "Why didn't you tell me?"_

_The Librarian looked saddened, __**"I cannot interfere with your journey, Alexander. I can only offer guidance after I sent you on your way."**_

_"BULLSHIT!" he roared "You knew all this fucking time that she would die no matter what I did! I had to watch the woman I love get blown to hell by those bug bastards while I could do nothing but watch!" _

_He felt the energy drain out of him from the outburst. Collapsing to the floor, he kept his heated gaze on the Forerunner, "Why put me through that? Jane...I could have done something to save her. Why did she have to..." he fell silent as what little strength began to fade out of him. _

_Two large, six-fingered hands rested on his shoulders. His grey eyes looked up into the glowing orbs of the Librarian as she knelt in front of him. __**"Not all hope is lost. You know that this is not the end of the woman whose heart you hold dear."**_

_Alex's gaze faltered a moment, "...she'll come back? Cerberus will bring her back like in the original timeline?" _

_She nodded, __**"Yes. Her demise was but half of one of this universe's major events. Her resurrection is the other. For it will strike fear into the hearts of those who serve the machines while those who fight them rally behind her."**_

_Reaching out, she placed one of her hands over his aching chest. __**"The pain you feel is great, the rage in your heart even more so, you must harness it and use it as a tool if you wish to see your love again. You will have to fight with all your strength, plant the seeds for this universe's war against the machines before she returns. You may not be able to stop them from coming, but you can ensure that those who wish to fight are ready for them."**_

_The nano soldier's eyes widened, "Plant the seeds..." everything she was saying clicked in his mind about what she was telling him._

_The Librarian nodded seeing him understand, __**"Now you see. Your mission is not yet over Alexander. There is still much to do." **__Everything around them began to fade. The omnipotent being's words still ringing in his mind as the darkness rose up to claim him once more._

X

**Alexander 'Maverick' Drake**

**Arcturus Station - Med Bay**

**October 13, 2183 - 12:57 hours**

Alex groaned as his eyes slowly opened. The nano suit's HUD flaring back to life as Prophet's voice rang in his ear. _**"Nano Suit Reinitializing...Complete."**_

_**"System Rebooting."**_

_**"All Systems Fully Functional."**_

_**"All Damages Repaired." **_

_**"User's Vital Signs Stable." **_

Looking around the room, he found himself in a large med bay surrounded by equipment. A heart rate monitor was hooked to his chest keeping track of his vitals. A nearby view port showed the star dotted void of space with the occasional ship passing by, most likely on sentry detail.

"Prophet, where are we?" he asked sitting up slowly.

_**"Alliance Station. Designation: Arcturus."**_replied the AI.

"How did we get here?" asked Alex as he shut off the monitor before removing the pads attached to his chest and standing upright.

_**"**_**Normandy**_** Destroyed by Unknown Hostile Force."**_

_**"Nano Suit Forced into Emergency Lockdown to Preserve User's Vitals."**_

_**"Alliance Recon Team Located **_**Normandy's**_** Lifepods and Found User Two Clicks from the Nearest Pod."**_

_**"Alliance Medical Staff, in Conjunction with Medical Officer Chakwas, Had user Moved to Arcturus Station's Med Bay for Treatment and Observation Upon Arrival."**_

Memories of what happened to the _Normandy _came crashing back into him then. The pain in his heart came back almost knocking the wind out of him when he remembered the last moments he had with Jane after the ship was destroyed.

The very last thing he saw being her jade green eyes before the engine explosion ripped them away from one another and sent her hurdling toward the planet's atmosphere.

He then remembered the Librarian's words, the pain he felt was replaced by rage and resolve. The Collectors would pay for this in blood.

He was brought out of his thoughts when the door to the med bay opened. A nurse walked in holding a tray of supplies, when she saw the nano soldier standing next to the bed she jumped sending everything clattering loudly to the floor.

"Oh god! Uh...your awake." she stuttered while gathering up the supplies that were scattered all over. "I...I was told to get the doctor when you woke up...so..." she spun around and quickly fled the room.

A minute later an Alliance doctor entered the room, both looking at the nano soldier in both awe and a little apprehension. "Maverick, I'm Dr. Evens. How are you feeling?"

Alex twitched a finger and activated his voice filter. **"Still alive." **he stated walking toward the view port and gazing out into the abyss.

"When you came in you had been exposed to the vacuum of space for almost 16 hours. When the crews found you there was severe ice build up covering your body. We were worried about your condition, especially when our equipment couldn't read anything more than your heart rate." explained Evens.

The Post-Human was silent. "You were unresponsive when you were brought here to the station. We monitored what vitals we could get from you as the ice broke up, thankfully they stayed strong while you were unconscious." continued the doctor.

**"How long have I been here?"** Alex asked as he watched a dreadnought drift past the station.

"Two weeks. The surviving members of the _Normandy_ have been here being debriefed on what happened. Admiral Hackett wanted to speak to you personally." said Evers.

At that moment, the Admiral in question entered the med bay. "Doctor, how's our friend?" asked Hackett looking at the nano soldier's back.

"Everything seems fine, Admiral. Though we haven't been getting any accurate readings on his health." replied Evens looking over the datapad in his hand.

**"I'm fine." **said Alex emotionless.

Hackett observed the man before him before turning to the doctor. "Can you give us a moment?" The doctor nodded and left the room leaving the two alone. The Admiral walked up and stood next to the nano soldier, hands clasped behind his back as they stood in silence.

"You loved her, didn't you son?" said Hackett after a while.

Alex breathed out slowly, **"Yes."**

Hackett nodded, "She was a good person, and a damn good soldier."

The elder man turned to him, "I need to know what happened out there, Maverick. The Council and the Alliance brass have tried to contact us for answers. Most of the crew have already informed us of what happened during the attack."

The Post-Human was motionless, **"We were attacked by an unknown force. I got a glimpse of the ship before I was spaced." **he said after a bit.

"What did you see?" asked Hackett.

**"The ship was large, bigger than a dreadnought. Looked like an insect hive. Its main weapon tore through the **_**Normandy's**_** barriers and hull like it was butter. It fled after the ship was destroyed, back into the Terminus Systems."** said Alex remembering everything clear as day.

The Admiral let out a breath through his nose, "Now we know what happened to the other ships as well. You did good work son, a lot of the crew owe you their lives."

Alex shook his head slowly, **"I didn't save her. We got spaced at the same time...and I watched her die while I couldn't do anything."**

Hackett reached out and put a hand on the nano soldier's shoulder. "I know that you did what you could. The Commander's death wasn't your fault." Alex looked at the Admiral, "I may not see your face, son. But I can feel the guilt and regret, the same feelings that overcome a lot of soldiers when a mission goes to hell."

The Post-Human turned back to the view port and looked out at the stars.

Hackett's gaze went to the floor, "The accounts of the other crew members have already been submitted to the Council and the Brass. I'll send yours out as well." he said before heading to the door. He

He paused at the threshold and turned back to Alex, "I'll tell them that you're still recovering. Give you some time to wrap your head around things." With that he left Alex alone with his thoughts.

Alex continued to look out into the void, eyes narrowing as the memory of the Collectors slipping away after the attack burned in the back of his mind. "You bastards will pay for this." he growled to himself.

X

Leaving the med bay after another hour of thinking. Alex walked through Arcturus in such a way that made any Marine passing by get out of his way. He went down several corridors getting bewildered looks everywhere he went.

He entered one of the many briefing rooms on the station where Ashley, Joker, Liara, Tali and Chakwas all sat around looking like the world had ended. Liara looked up and gasped, "Alex! By the Goddess, your awake!" she said standing up with everyone else.

Alex swiped his omni-tool through the air and made sure that any and all listening devices in the room was disabled before sealing the door behind him. **"How's the rest of the crew?" **he asked looking each of them over.

"Almost everyone made it." said Chakwas. "17 Servicemen lost their lives in the attack. Pressly included...and the Commander..." she finished casting her gaze to the table in front of her.

"Alex what happened?" asked Ashley sounding as though she couldn't believe what had occurred.

**"We were attacked by a ship of unknown origin. Me and Jane were spaced when the **_**Normandy**_** exploded. We were separated when one of the engines went critical while we were in the vacuüm."** he explained emotionless.

Joker removed his hat and put his head in his hands, "It's all my fault. If I had just bailed out when she told me too..." the pilot looked at Alex with misery written across his features. "Alex, I'm sorry. If..if you hate me I understand. I mean...I hate myself, why wouldn't you hate me for..." he could even finish. Tears building up in the back of his eyes from the pain and shame he was feeling.

Walking around the table, Alex approached Joker who braced himself for what could happen.

He didn't expect the nano soldier's hand to gently pat him on the shoulder. **"It wasn't your fault Joker. The only ones to blame are the bastards that attacked us."** he said trying to ease the pilot's mind.

The helmsmen looked up at him, a stray tear going down his bearded face. "She gave her life for mine...how the hell can I live with that?" he asked with his voice shaking.

**"The same way I will." **said Alex looking around at the others. **"By surviving. By not giving up. By fighting for what I believe in. As all of us should. Because I have a feeling that this is not over yet."**

Those gathered nodded. Tali sniffled, "Why did this happen?" Ashley wrapped and arm around the Quarian as they all tried to push through their grief.

Alex closed his eyes behind his visor, his own pain flaring at hearing Tali's words.

X

**Alexander 'Maverick' Drake**

**Council Chambers - Citadel**

**October 26, 2183 - 14:31 hours**

The last week and a half had been pure hell for everyone. Upon returning to the Citadel the crew had been blind sided by the press, wanting to know answers about what happened to the _Normandy_ and Jane's death.

Alex had fired a concentrated overload that took out all the media equipment and shutting the reporters up as they went to the Citadel tower and report to the Council.

They had been sympathetic, especially Anderson. Jane had been like a daughter to him for many years. Throughout the meeting Alex saw the ex-Alliance Captain fighting back tears as they spoke of the deceased Commander.

A memorial service was held in her honor. Everyone had attended and said something regarding one of the galaxy's greatest heros. Wrex had even been there and said a few words. Saying that the Commander had been one of the bravest and most noble Humans he had ever met.

Kaidan had been there as well, a nurse with him to be sure that nothing happened to him since his rehab wasn't complete. He was just as distraught if not more so considering the past he and Jane had together as friends.

Alex had remained in his nano suit through the service; but everyone could feel the pain rolling off of him from under the protective layer. He said very little when it was his turn to speak. But those who know him knew what he wanted to say. How much he loved her and how much she meant to him.

But he was forced to swallow it all down and keep his speech brief so that no one outside their group knew about the two Spectres.

When the service ended, after getting past the reporters once again. The team all went to the bar and toasted the Commander's life, and wished her the best on the other side.

Outside the nano suit, Alex was still as quiet as he was at the service. None of the team could blame him and just offered what comfort they could. But the Post-Human remained in private solitude. Looking at the other couples in their group. Ashley who was being comforted by Garrus. And Joker and Tali who were leaning on each other for support.

His mind and heart in agony, despite the words he shared with the Librarian while he was in that coma. He still felt the impact of Jane's death as though it just happened. And he knew that it was a feeling that wouldn't pass anytime soon.

X

As they days passed everyone tried to go back to business as usual. But they all knew that it was all for naught. They just went through the motions as life continued to go on.

Alex had been told to take time off from his Spectre duties since he was still 'recovering' from what happened. But he soon found out the truth of what the Council, save for Anderson, was doing.

He had snuck into the Citadel archives using his Spectre status to gather as much intel on the Collectors as he could to make a case to the Council about the threat they now posed to the safety of the colonists before they started their attack. It was then that he made a discovery.

All of the data, evidence, and eye-witness accounts about the Reapers had been locked up tight and stored away in a terminal that was heavily encrypted.

Alex was enraged, the bastards had wasted no time sealing everything away not long after hearing about Jane's death. Everything they fought for was being put away in a dark corner so that no one would think to bring it up again.

They were using the Commander's death as a distraction to make sure that the threat of the Reapers stayed silent.

After having Prophet break through the encryption, he copied all the data contained in the terminal and transferred it to an OSD before locking it all back down and leaving the archives. He sent a message to all the members of the crew that were still on the Citadel; which had only been Liara and Garrus at the time since everyone else had been either sent back within the Alliance ranks, or returned to their home in Wrex and Tali's case.

The Asari and Turian were just as pissed as he was and went to Anderson first. Needless to say that the Human representative was not pleased to hear what his fellow Councilors were doing behind their backs. A meeting had been called, and Alex was going to rip them a new one for this.

X

"Maverick, we were informed that this meeting was to discuss something important." said Tevos as they all gathered in the Council chambers.

Alex took a few deep breaths to calm himself, **"I would like to know why certain members of this Council are using Commander Shepard's death to cover up the Reapers' existance."** he demanded.

The three other Councilors looked passive, but the nano soldier caught the slight shock displayed in their eyes. "Where did you learn this?" asked Valern crossing his arms playing innocent.

Alex held up an OSD, **"I was doing research on the ship that attacked the **_**Normandy**_** in the archives. Imagine my surprise to discover that everything Jane and I had found and reported to you about the Reapers was sealed away and left in the dark so that no one would ever learn of it."**

"Those files were restricted to only a select few, Maverick!" roared Sparatus. "You had no right to be digging around in them! Spectre status or not!"

He had them. **"So you **_**are**_** covering it up!"** he accused.

Tevos pinched the bridge of her nose. "You have to understand. There has been no other evidence of the Reapers' return after Sovereign's defeat. If the Reapers even exist. For all we know Sovereign was the last of its kind."

**"You can't be serious..."** Alex said not believing what he was hearing. **" '**_**If **_**they exist?' Have you already forgotten what that thing did two months ago? You can't just brush this under the rug! The galactic community needs to know about this threat!"**

"There is no threat!" exclaimed Sparatus. "What ever threat there was ended when the Geth and Saren were defeated. We will not cause galactic wide panic because of the ramblings of a mentally scarred Spectre."

The air in the chambers started to go cold. Alex's fists were clenched so tight green volts of electricity were arching over his knuckles. **"Mentally. Scarred. Spectre?" **he hissed out with enough venom to make a Thresher Maw shrink back. **"That **_**mentally scarred Spectre**_** saved your worthless asses when the Geth had you against the ropes! We opened the relays, sacrificed the lives of hundreds of Alliance personnel to ensure your survival! AND NOW THAT'S WHAT YOU HAVE TO SAY ABOUT HER NOW THAT SHE'S GONE!"**

His outburst shook anyone listening to their core. **"You three...are fucking PATHETIC!" **he pushed on. **"You only care about saving face in the galactic community when the real threat is just on the horizon! What's the point of forming the Spectres if you don't take us seriously when we bring you something of this kind of importance!"**

"That's enough Maverick!" exclaimed Valern. "The decision of this Council regarding this matter is closed."

"You work for us now. I suggest you fall in line." demanded Sparatus.

Alex gritted his teeth hard, **"Fuck. You. All. Consider this my resignation from the Spectres." **the shock that went through the room was felt like an actual bolt of electricity. The nano soldier turned on his heel and walked toward the stairs.

"Maverick! We are not done here!" called Tevos.

**"But I am."** he replied whirling around. **"I'm done with this Council. Politics. And this never ending stream of bullshit. Find a new pawn to fuck with, I'm done." **without another word he left the chambers. Got in his skycar and fled the tower.

As he drove through traffic he brought up his omni-tool. "Prophet, contact Reena, Chellick, Garrus and Liara. Have them all meet at the apartment. I've had enough of the Council's lies and cover-ups. It's time to implement our contingency plan."

_**"Acknowledged. Preparations for Contingency Plan in Progress..."**_ said Prophet.

X

**Alexander 'Maverick' Drake**

**Alex's Apartment - Lower Wards**

**October 26, 2183 - 15:43 hours**

It had taken everyone a little time to assemble at the Post-Human's home. Upon arrival they saw him standing in front of the large window overlooking the wards with his nano suit still on, but the helmet on the table.

"Alex, we're here." said Reena cautiously.

He turned and everyone gasped seeing the unbridled rage in his eyes. "I was right. The Council used Jane's death to cover up the Reapers' existence. And they all but told me to keep my mouth shut about it. I've had enough of this. Too many people have died because they are gutless fools." he seethed making them all shiver.

"Spirits...what did you do?" asked Garrus afraid to know the answer."

"I quit the Spectres." Alex said as though he were ordering a glass of water. "I will not stand by and let what we fought for and discovered be brushed aside like it never happened. They dishonored Jane's memory...I'm going to make them pay for it."

"Sounds like a hell of a good fight." everyone spun around and saw Zen enter the living room.

"Zen? What are you doing here?" asked Chellick in shock.

The old Krogan looked at Alex and chuckled. "You honestly didn't think I wouldn't figure this out? I've known you were Maverick for almost two years now. I may be old, but I know a true warrior when I see one." he shrugged, "That...and seeing you use your bow while in armor was a big hint as well."

Alex gave a ghost of a smile, "Glad to let you in on the secret old friend."

"And he's not the only one." said Anderson entering the room as well. "I had a feeling that it was you all this time. After finding out that a random Servicemen that suddenly appeared in Alliance records was allowed passage on the _Normandy_ I had a feeling something was out of the ordinary."

The gathered group couldn't seem to form words. Alex just shook his head, "Does Hackett know?" he asked casually.

Anderson smirked, "Yes, me and him both put the pieces together. He was hoping you would tell him yourself in person. But that's not important right now." the Human Councilor's smirk vanished as he switched gears. "The Council isn't happy. Having a recently decorated Spectre like you suddenly quit makes them look pretty bad to the community. The press has already gotten wind of it and it's spreading like wildfire."

"I can't blame you for doing it." the ex-Captain continued. "At this point I regret taking the job as Councilor if this is how they are going to treat things. I don't blame people for not wanting to believe in the Reapers; it's nightmare stuff. But what they're trying to do is going too far. Countless lives could be at risk and they just push for silence."

"That's why I called most of the people in this room here." said Alex. "Even though I wasn't expecting Zen or you Anderson, but it does make it a little easier."

"Makes what easier? What are you planning Alex?" asked Liara.

The nano soldier held up an OSD, the very same one he had in the Council chambers. "They don't want to tell people about the Reapers? Fine, they don't have to...I'll do it myself."

"W-What!" Reena said not believing it. "How can you pull that off? Putting that kind of data on the extranet could have horrible backlash!"

Alex shook his head, "I'm not dropping this kind of a bomb on the public. But I am giving the evidence to those who can actually use it." He set the OSD down and brought up his omni-tool. "When we were on the _Normandy_, I recorded and filed away every important piece of intel we collected. The data on indoctrination. The meeting with Sovereign. The meeting with Vigil on Ilos. Even the battle with the fleet against Sovereign in the end of it all. I created a heavily encrypted file that I could only get into with all of this."

"What for?" asked Garrus now very interested.

The Post-Human grinned ferally, "A contingency plan...just incase the Council tried something like this. With the press of a button, all of this evidence will be transferred to every government on all four home worlds of the head species in Council Space."

Dead silence filled the room. "G-Goddess..." said Liara in shock. "The Council would be implicated in their cover up, and all governments will know what we know about the Reapers..."

"Exactly." said Alex. "Though it's not without drawbacks. When the head governments see all of this, the Council is going to be hit with some major fire from all of them." he looked at Anderson. "So I had to make modifications to the plan when Anderson here became Human Councilor. You see, while we were on Arcturus Station I had one last meeting with Hackett..."

_Flashback_

_Alex stood in a private room as he waited patiently for his guest to arrive._

_He didn't wait long when Admrial Hackett entered within moments. "Maverick. You said that this was important?" he said standing before the nano soldier._

_Alex nodded as he held out an OSD. Hackett looked at it oddly before taking it. "What is this?" he asked looking it over._

_**"Every piece of data me and the Commander collected on the Reapers. I have a feeling that when we return to the Citadel that the Council may try to discourage everything me and her fought to uncover. I need to make sure that Humanity is ready if and when they get to our galaxy from dark space."**__ Alex explained._

_The Admiral looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "You want me to give this to the defense committee..." he said putting two and two together._

_The Post-Human nodded, __**"Yes. It also has evidence exonerating Councilor Anderson from any involvement of the cover up. He was on board in uniting everyone to fight the Reapers when the time came. I won't let what those near sighted fools will do effect his good name."**_

_Hackett looked at the OSD again before slipping it into his coat pocket. "Thank you. I don't know if it will do any good. But maybe it will get people to pay attention."_

_**"Just wait for my signal to reveal it to them."**__ said Alex heading toward the exit. _

_"How will I know?" asked the Admiral not turning around. _

_Alex paused at the door, __**"You will...trust me." **__with that he left silently._

_Hackett looked out the only viewpoint in the room and took a deep breath. "She trusted you with everything. I'll do the same." he said to the empty room._

_Flashback End_

"So you covered every angle." said Anderson now understanding.

"Everything but one." said Chellick. "The moment this data get's out, the Council will eventually figure out it was you that did it. You're the only one that put everything together and confronted them about it."

Alex nodded, "That was also part of the plan. I don't want them going after any of the _Normandy's_ crew thinking it was them...I did this, and I'll take the heat for it." he said with conviction.

"They'll hunt you." said Liara still in shock. "You'll be a wanted man in Citadel Space."

"Maybe..." said the nano soldier as he turned and watched the artificial sunset. "I never thought of myself as a hero, not like Jane was. I do whatever it takes to make sure the innocent are safe. Even if it means sacrificing my own good name..."

Chellick perked up, remembering something that Alex had said to him, Garrus and a few others long ago. "You either die a hero, or live long enough to see yourself become the villan..." he said catching everyone's attention.

Alex smiled sadly, "I figured you'd remember that." he said turning to his friend. "And it holds true. And I'll be whatever this galaxy needs me to be. No matter what." his gaze fell to the floor. "I just hope that she would tell me if I was doing the right thing..."

A hand clasped his shoulder, he looked up to see Anderson looking at him seriously. "She would, without a doubt. Jane was like a daughter to me, and I know she would be behind you 100%. Just like I will be."

"And me." said Garrus.

"Me as well." said Liara.

"Us too." said Chellick putting an arm around Reena as she nodded in agreement.

Zen slammed his fists together, "So what's the rest of the plan?" he said meaning that he was onboard as well.

Alex smirked as he brought up a few more things on his omni-tool. It was time to get to work.

_**A/N: Now how's that for a few twists? There is one more chapter before I get to the 'present time'. And from what you've read in this one, the next one will be a hell of a showstopper!**_

_**Update coming soon...very soon...**_


	4. Contingency Plan

_**A/N: After planning out this chapter as best as I could, it's about time that I showed it to the public. This is the last chapter in the flashback portion of the fic and will pick up right where the prologue left off soon after. But most of all, this is where things begin to change in ways people can't possibly imagine. Canon will NOT be the same after this.**_

_**I own nothing**_

**Alexander 'Maverick' Drake**

**Docking Bay 32 - Citadel**

**October 26, 2183 - 20:55 hours**

It had taken several hours to get everything into motion. Certain steps had to be taken to make sure that the contingency plan went as effective as possible. Alex had sent everyone out with a specific task that would not only make it all successful, but to also ensure that no one else was implicated.

Anderson was at the Presidium in full view. He would make sure that the other Councilors would be none the wiser to what was about to happen.

Garrus was at C-Sec making sure that this corner of the docking bay was clear for his exit strategy. Even though his Turian friend hated all the red tape that went with being a cop, fighting for justice is what he loved most.

Alex knew it was only a matter of time before he grew sick of it too and decided to go out on his own.

Chellick, Reena and Zen were clearing out all of the weapons, armor, and mods from the shop. The three were adamant about going with him after the plan was initiated. Reena had told him that they had been by his side since the beginning, and they weren't going to bail on him now with things about to go as far south as they could go.

Liara...had done something rather surprising. She had contacted her mother and had her pull a few strings, and from this a small frigate that could easily be manned by four people was waiting for them at docking bay 32 where he was now standing with her.

Alex looked the vessel over with a careful eye, his nano suit and what supplies he could gather from his apartment already stored on board since most of his weapons, his bow included, were destroyed with the _Normandy. _"It's a good ship. I gotta thank Lady Benezia when I see her again." he said after looking over the ship.

"After telling her about your plan, she was more than happy to help in whatever way she could." said Liara. "Do you have anywhere to go when you leave here?"

"I had a plan for that too." said the nano soldier. "I learned about the location of an old merc outpost on a planet out in the Terminus Systems. It's been abandoned and forgotten for several years, no one would think to look there for me. Perfect place to lay low and start working from the bottom up."

Liara looked to him a little shocked, "Are you sure? Being within Terminus Space?"

Alex nodded, "It's the only option open right now. And since it's outside of the Council's jurisdiction it'll be perfect for the time being."

The nearby elevator opened, Chellick and Zen stepped out with several large crates on a moving palate with Reena trailing behind with her omni-tool flared. "Got everything we'll need from the shop. Including a few blue prints you had stashed away that could be useful." said the Quarian as they went about loading all the supplies on to the ship.

"Are you sure about closing the shop here on the Citadel?" Alex asked Zen.

The one eyed Krogan smirked, "I'll get better business on Omega if things get tight. And besides, things sound a lot more fun with what you've got in the works."

Once the last of the crates were loaded they all gathered together. "So, what now?" asked Chellick.

Alex brought out his omni-tool, "Prophet, what's our status?"

_**"All Data Required for Contingency Plan is Currently at 83% before Upload can Commence. Estimated time: 45 minutes." **_said the AI.

"We've got 45 minutes before I can send the data out. We better get ready to head through the mass relay before then." said the Post-Human.

"Then we better be getting ready for take off." said Reena stepping into the airlock. Chellick and Zen both nodded to Alex before following after the Quarian.

Liara sighed, "I wish I could go with you, Alex. But there is something of great importance that I must take care of. I'm sorry." she said cryptically.

Alex looked into her blue eyes. He knew damn well what 'important task' she was talking about was going after Jane's body. But he wasn't going to call her out on it, not yet anyway. "No worries Liara. If you ever need me for anything, you know how to contact me." he said giving his friend a hug before they parted company.

The young Asari paused and looked back at him, "Don't let her death destroy you Alex." she said gently before continuing on her way.

The nano soldier was touched at her concern, but it wasn't him her death was going to destroy in the end. Taking a deep breath, he stepped through the airlock and on to the small ship.

X

The _MSV Vecta_ left the Citadel's docking bay. Chellick behind the controls as his old military training helped him pilot the craft.

Zen had set up shop in the cargo hold taking stock of all their supplies while Reena was in engineering making sure the ship's engines were running at peak condition for their trip in to the Terminus Systems.

The _Vecta_ was a good ship. But it was designed for carrying supplies and had no weapons to speak of. So they would have to play it safe until they reached Lorek and seem as least hostile as possible.

Alex stood on the bridge behind Chellick as they flew past the Citadel fleet and made their way toward the mass relay. "How much longer?" asked the Turian slowing their acceleration so that they were still a good ways away from the relay.

"Just another 15 minutes." said Alex keeping his eyes locked on his omni-tool.

Minutes ticked by slowly, the air on the bridge was tense as Reena and Zen came up and joined Alex and Chellick. "Have I told you lately that you're a crazy SOB?" said Chellick looking over his shoulder at Alex.

"No. But it's good to know you still think that." replied the Post-Human with a slight grin.

His omni-tool beeped as Prophet spoke. _**"Data Ready for Upload."**_ "Alright guys, get ready to run like hell." Alex said seriously as he pressed one button on his omni-tool. _**"Upload Commencing."**_ a loading bar appeared on screen that was filling up rather quickly.

Within another two minutes the bar was completely full. _**"Upload Complete." **_"Chellick punch it!" said Alex as his Turian friend gunned the ship's engines. Pulling up along side the relay before being slingshot off into the stars.

X

**Presidium - Citadel Tower**

**October 27, 2183 - 04:49 hours**

The four Councilors entered their chambers in the Citadel tower after being woken up in their homes by urgent messages coming from their offices.

Upon arrival, three of them were shocked to see everything in chaos. Ambassadors, secretaries, and various other officials were scrambling all over the place. "What in the Goddess' name is going on?" wondered Tevos as they began moving faster to the center of the large room.

Anderson kept his face neutral. Hackett had contacted him a few hours prior saying that he had given the data to the Alliance Defense Council. The higher ups were shocked an unbelieving at first. But as the information was unveiled they became terrified that something of this kind of magnitude was about to be kept from them.

The Human Councilor was already given pardon by the Alliance and Earth governments for not having anything to do with the cover up. But they wanted immediate answers on why something like this was kept out of their reach when they should have been told immediately.

A secretary ran up to them almost out of breath, "Councilors! The...you've got urgent calls on vid-com." said the Asari looking more than a little afraid.

"What is this all about?" asked Sparatus curtly.

The secretary looked uncomfortable, "You...you better speak to them. They aren't willing to wait any longer..." she said meekly.

"Who?" asked Valern.

"Primarch Fidorian. The Salarian Dalatrass. And The...Asari Empress." said the Asari leaving all three Councilors in a state of shock.

"Why would they be contacting us?" said Tevos as they headed into the private comm room where the hologram images of the heads of the Turian, Salarian and Asari governments were already waiting for them.

"To what do we owe the honor?" asked Valern respectfully to the leaders.

"We wish to know why key points of information regarding the attack on the Citadel were kept from us." said Primarch Fidorian sternly with his arms crossed.

"Primarch, sir. What do you mean? We have kept nothing from you." said Sparatus while he was getting a nagging feeling in the back of his head.

The Dalatrass waved her hand in the air and a holo-screen appeared. The Councilors all watched as a deep, monotone voice echoed through the room. _**"This message is to those who deserved to know the truth. The Council has lied to you. They have made you believe that the attack on the Citadel was orchestrated by the Rogue Spectre Saren and the Geth. When in truth, the real mastermind was something far more dangerous."**_

For the next couple hours, video footage of the meeting with Sovereign came about. The Reaper telling those in the footage what it and its kind were capable of. It then jumped right to the meeting with the Prothean VI, Vigil, on Ilos and what the Protheans had learned and done during the war with the Reapers leading up to the end.

When all the footage was done, lines of data was displayed highlighting key points about Reaper indoctrination and the power that the machines would wield in a fight. This was coupled with the footage of Sovereign ripping through the Alliance fleet as they fought against it during the battle for the Citadel.

The three original Councilors were both pale and slack-jawed. Anderson did his best to act the part, but given his previous knowledge of this made it a bit difficult.

When it all came to a close the same voice was heard once more. _**"This may seem unbelievable, but it is the truth. Sovereign was a vanguard left behind by the Reaper fleet to open the Citadel relay when the time rose for their return. But now the relay is closed, Sovereign is dead, and they are still coming to continue the cycle that destroyed the Protheans and countless civilizations before them."**_

_**"No matter what the Council may think is right. You needed to know the whole truth. The Reapers are more advanced and powerful, they showed no mercy for the Protheans and they will do the same to us all. The time of their arrival is unknown...but they are coming. And I refuse to let you all go on unprepared. Use this knowledge well, we need to be ready before it's too late."**_

Silence filled the room. The Councilors couldn't find words while the heads of their species glared at them, waiting for an explanation.

"We had our techs analyze this intel." said the Asari Empress. "It is genuine, and was pulled from the Citadel's archives. We would like an explanation for your actions _Councilors_." she hissed angrily making Tevos flinch.

"The Alliance has contacted all of us." said Fedorian. "They received the same information, and were just as displeased as the rest of us. From what we can understand, they sacrificed several ships to save your lives and the civilians aboard the Destiny Ascension. Then focused their remaining ships on the Reaper attempting to gain access to the Citadel while your fleet was in ruins. From this, they more then deserved their place in our community."

The Turian leader looked at Anderson as he said this before turning his gaze back on Sparatus where he narrowed his eyes dangerously. "How could you allow such vital intel to be pushed aside?" he growled out. "That was foolish! And irresponsible of all of you! And you, Sparatus, should know the price paid to those who are incompetent."

Sparatus swallowed dryly and nodded, "Yes Primarch, but you have to understand-"

"What we need to _understand_." interrupted the Dalatrass. "Is why you would have lead us along in ignorance while a threat the likes of which none of us could have fathomed might be barreling their way through dark space directly toward us!"

"The evidence given to us was not concrete enough to take action!" Valern tried to reason.

"There were _eye witness accounts_ Councilor Valern." said Fedorian. "Even if they were fabricated; our technicians would have discovered the faults in the recordings. They found none. Are you saying that the ones who faced such horrors and had the decency to record these events to have proof of the Reaper threat were liars?"

No words spoke in response, and it spoke volumes to all in attendance.

"Right now, our defense committees are coming up with a plans for this situation." said the Empress. "Whether or not it turns out to be truth, we do not want our fate to be like that of the Protheans."

"And as for the three of you." said Fedorian pointedly to the three original Councilors. "Your replacements are already being chosen. It seems we were mistaken in choosing representatives who would choose silence over galactic safety."

"You will also be transported back to your respected home worlds to face tribunal for your actions." said the Dalatrass. "We will not be dragged down because of your choices."

"This meeting is over, we expect you to be before each of us respectively within the next two solar weeks." said the Empress sternly. "Your replacements should be there within the next week, until then we expect all decisions made to be passed through us before they are made. Our word is final in this matter." the lines all cut out after that.

A tense silence filled the room, Tevos pinched the bridge of her nose as everything they had just went through began to settle in. "How did they get the information, it was suppose to be sealed..." it clicked with her then. "Maverick."

"Of course it would be _him_." Sparatus growled. "We have to run as much damage control as we can. This can't reach the public."

Valern sighed, "It's too late for that Sparatus. Now that this has spread to our governments it's only a matter of time before everyone in the Traverse knows about it."

Tevos looked to Anderson who had been silent through the whole ordeal. "Anderson, what have you to say about all of this?"

The Human Councilor said nothing as he put his hands behind his back. "I warned you to listen to Shepard and Maverick when they brought all of this before us. I may not have known he would do something like this, but Maverick has always been the type to do whatever it takes to save others."

"And yet he broke several laws to do what exactly?" hissed Sparatus. "Our governments now know about this farce! And we're being replaced because of it! When I get my talons on that Human I will-"

"Enough Sparatus." said Valern. "The only thing we can do now is cushion the impact this will have, and hope by the end of it all we still have our heads."

Anderson shook his head and exited the room. His thoughts drifting to the Post-Human as he looked out one of the towers windows at the stars outside. "Good luck out there." he said to himself wishing Alex the best.

X

**Cronos Station - Horsehead Nebula**

**October 27, 2183 - 06:32 hours**

The Illusive Man sat back in his chair, breathing in a deep drag on his cigarette as he looked over the large stream of data that his spy network had just received. His glowing eyes searching every inch of the stream as a small smirk appeared on his face.

"It seems I underestimated him once again. Perhaps this will work to our advantage in the future." he said into the silent room.

The sound of high-heeled shoes on the floor's surface echoed. Miranda came out of the shadows of the large office and approached her boss. "We've established contact with Liara T'Soni." she said standing behind him.

Blowing out another ring of smoke, the Illusive Man nodded. "Excellent, Ms. Lawson. Continue with the operation. Failure, is not an option."

Miranda nodded, "Yes, sir." she looked at the information displayed before them. "What about Maverick? It's obvious he is on the same page regarding the Reapers as we are."

"Exposing the Reaper threat and the Council's attempt as a cover us was a radical step. But one that would work in our favor if we play our cards right." replied the Cerberus head.

Crossing her arms under her breasts, Miranda narrowed her eyes at the nano soldier's dossier that was also displayed. "He'll never follow Cerberus. He's made his position on our cause quite clear in our last encounter."

The Illusive Man took another drag on his cancer stick, "Then we need to get the leverage to have him follow us." he said bringing up another dossier. This being the one of Commander Shepard. "He may not follow us, but he will follow Shepard. The Lazarus Project will proceed when her body is in our possession. Do not fail me Ms. Lawson."

"Yes, sir." Miranda said before turning on her heel and leaving the room. The tycoon gazed through the wall of holo-screens at the star that Cronos station orbited.

"I may not know where you are, Maverick. But you and I will be crossing paths again very soon." he said out loud leaning back in his chair.

X

**Alexander 'Maverick' Drake**

**Planet Enos - Hawking Eta System (Terminus Space)**

**October 29, 2183 - 12:03 hours**

The planet Enos wasn't listed on many star-charts, and had been the perfect place to house a secret merc outpost that had been run by the Blue Suns. The surface was mostly covered in water with a few large islands that made it difficult to locate any possible structures; the perfect place for anyone to hide out.

Though the outpost had been abandoned for many years, the building was perfectly intact. Built into the side of a large rock face on one of the smaller islands, tucked away from any harsh elements that may have eroded away at it.

Arriving on the planet, Chellick set the _Vecta_ down in a docking area that had been set up on a ledge right next to the outpost. It not only helped conceal the ship like the facility, but since the outpost had several corridors tunneling through the rocks connecting to the docking area made it easy to move supplies covertly into the outpost.

Stepping off the vessel, Alex looked around the docking area a moment before heading toward a nearby terminal. For the first time in a while not wearing his nano suit and opting for his black under armor, leather jacket, jeans and boots.

"This place has been here a while, but it looks like it hasn't suffered any damage." said Zen as he, Reena and Chellick followed behind him.

"Must be the location." said Reena looking out over the large expanse of water surrounding the island. "The rocks must protect it from any of the elements caused by the planet."

Approaching the terminal, Alex brought up his omni-tool. "Prophet, think you can get into the system and get this place back online." he asked.

_**"Establishing Connection...Connection Established. Outpost's Backup Power Supplies are Still Online. Main Power Core Requires Re-Activation for Full Functionality."**_

"I think I might be able to help get the systems back online." said Reena.

Alex nodded, "Prophet, open a path for us to the Power Core. We'll get this place up and running."

_**"Acknowledged."**_ the door leading out of the docking area came online, the holo-lock going green before opening up to reveal the long corridor that went farther into the rocks. The group all took out weapons just to be sure.

The nano soldier leading them with Avenger assault rifle in hand with Chellick and Reena right behind him and Zen bringing up the rear.

Everything was silent, the backup power only having the lights cast a light blue glow in the darkness. "Think there's anything here besides us?" asked Chellick sweeping a few shadows with his own assault rifle.

"If there is, we'll crush it." said Zen racking his Claymore for added effect.

Alex brought up his omni-tool and projected a map of the outpost before them. "The main core is inside the rocks, separated from the main building for safety reasons. These mercs went all out when they built this place." deactivating the device he turned to the others, "After we get the power back on we'll comb the main facility to make sure there aren't any surprises before unloading the ship."

Getting nods in return, the group continued on their way. Going down several corridors and through a few storage rooms that had a few crates of left over salvage and other materials that the mercs had left behind.

After another fifteen minutes, the group reached a large reinforced door with **'Main Reactor'** across the surface. "Here we go. Everyone get ready." said Alex bringing up his omni-tool. The group stacked up behind him weapons ready.

The door opened and they stormed in. The large chamber was dark, only lit by a few emergency lights in a few key areas.

Switching on their flashlights, the team searched around for anything hostile. "Reena, do what you can. Well make sure there's nothing else here." said Alex as he, Chellick and Zen spread out.

The young Quarian walked up to the main terminal, setting her heavy pistol aside as she began going through the different systems. "Everything seems to be running normally. Looks like they just shut the place down when they left so that no one would discover this place by mistake." she said outloud.

"Can you get it working babe?" asked Chellick as they all came back around after finding nothing else in the room.

"Just...about...got it." she said as the large reactor powered up with aloud hum. The lights around the room flickered a moment before coming online. _**"Power Re-Established. Outpost Systems Coming Online."**_ chimed Prophet as the team filed out of the room.

"All that's left is to check out our new 'home' and unload our stuff." said Chellick shouldering his rifle.

"And try to establish ourselves." said Alex as they moved through the corridors toward the main part of the outpost. "I got a good chunk of creds stashed away to keep us going for a while, all of us do, but if we don't get a steady stream of it coming in than we'll be in trouble."

"So, what? Become hired guns?" asked Chellick.

"Now that sound's like a good idea." said Zen grinning.

Reena looked at the old Krogan, "Trying to relive the glory days Zen?" she asked making Chellick snicker.

"Bah! My glory days are far from over little one!" Zen boasted. "Just you wait, I'll show you pyjaks how we kicked ass."

Alex shook his head, but inside he was glad that the three of them were there with him. As much as things had gone to hell in the last month, he was happy to have his friends at his side.

X

The facility itself was a pretty good sized one. It was composed of four levels. The bottom floor being a hangar/cargo bay were supplies could be kept and a shooting range could be set up. Chellick had also managed to find a still working Kodiac shuttle that needed a little bit of work but was fully functional.

The next floor had an armory, tech lab and a med bay. All were empty of any good supplies or armaments but it could have easily been rectified once they got everything settled and restocked.

Next there was the living area, the whole floor had multiple private rooms and a large barracks for more people. There was also a large mess area and kitchen, rec room, and gym. All of which also had to be restocked before it could be used effectively.

And the top floor was a combination op center/comm room. Filled with several terminals, a large conference table with a holo-tank in the middle, and a vid-call room that was all now functioning thanks to the power being switched back on.

"Why the hell would the mercs abandon a place like this?" asked Chellick as they gathered together in on the top floor.

"Unknown. The mercs just gathered everything up and bailed. And it's pretty easy to forget the coördinates. So after a few years this place just became another memory that faded away." said Alex looking out the large window in the front of the outpost that overlooked the island and the surrounding ocean.

"Either way, it's all ours now. And I intend on using this to an advantage." finished the nano soldier stepping over to the large table as a 3D map of the entire facility came up. "Once we get a few things established, we'll set out to gather some extra supplies. After that we can start building."

"So what's the plan?" asked Reena as they gathered around.

"Chellick's idea about becoming a gun for higher seems to be the best way to bring in credits. This is the Terminus Systems, it's lawless, so I think that's our best bet." said the nano soldier.

"Now that's a plan." said Zen. "I have a few contacts out here that might be able to help us with that. A couple are on Omega and are always looking for some good help, one of them's an information broker and can feed us intel where we need it."

Alex nodded, "Sounds good. Contact them and set up a couple of meetings. But for right now, let's get ourselves familiar with our new home."

Everyone nodded and headed off in separate directions, Chellick wrapped his arm around Reena's waist as they headed to the elevator and rode it down to the living quarters to set up their own room.

Zen was right behind them and went down to the armory to finish unpacking all the crates they unloaded from the ship and setting things up for the future missions they would most likely be receiving soon.

Now alone, Alex shook his head before going into the vid-com room. After punching in the right frequency he waited for the call to take.

He didn't wait long as the form of Councilor Anderson materialized before him. "Alex, I take it you got to where you were going?" he asked sounding tired.

"We did Anderson." replied the Post-Human. "I take it things have been difficult on your end."

The Human representative sighed, "You have no idea how big of a hornets nest you kicked around here. The Council is being replaced, the species governments believe they won't do right for the galaxy. Thanks to what you gave to Hackett and the Defense Council I'm not on the chopping block, but personally I'm thinking about resigning. I'm sick of all this shit already."

"I don't blame you. But you can at least do some collateral damage with the power you still have before you leave." said Alex smirking.

Anderson smirked back before going serious again, "People have been hunting for you Alex. The Alliance, the Turian Hierarchy, the Dalatrass, even the Asari government. Everyone wants more answers, you and Jane were the only ones to truly discover the truth behind the Reapers. And with Jane gone..."

Alex breathed out, "I couldn't tell them any more than what I already have, Anderson. They need to plan for the worst. They don't need me for that."

"I understand that son. Believe me I do. And with things the way they are I can't blame you for wanting to get away from it all. But you can't keep yourself out of the public eye forever. Someone's going to find out that you're out in the Terminus." said Anderson.

"You're right, but until the time in which I'm actually needed for the galaxy at large I think I'm going to be doing a few things on my own without politics breathing down my neck." the nano soldier admitted. "But that doesn't mean I'm turning my back on the people in Citadel Space. If anyone needs me, you'll know how to contact me and so will a handful of others."

Anderson nodded, "I understand, Alex. Good luck out there. Anderson out."

When the hologram faded Alex spun on his heel and headed for the elevator. Riding it down to the living area and heading to one of the personal quarters that he had already staked out as his own.

Stepping inside and sealing the door behind him, he looked at his new dwelling. It was a little bigger than his room on the _Normandy_ with a desk and terminal, a medium sized table in the center of the room with three chairs, a bed that was nothing more than a cot and dirty mattress and several shelves along the walls.

The only thing in there not covered in dust was the large crate against the far wall. Walking over to it, Alex cracked it open and looked up at his nano suit that was stashed inside.

Reaching into a compartment next to the suit, he pulled out four datapads that contained blue prints that he'd been working on in his free time in the last three months. One of them a blue print for a second version of his bow that was more advanced and better equiped for missions than the last.

Things had gone to hell pretty fast, and he knew that things were going to get worse before they got remotely better. And he needed to be ready for when it did get worse. But one thing Alex had learned from his time here was to be prepared for everything the could come your way.

Tossing the datapads on the table, the Post-Human sat on the edge of his bed and sighed deeply. His omni-tool flared to life as he went through the files on it and stopped at one in particular.

A holo was enlarged to the size of an 8 by 10 and he smiled. It was a holo of the last date he and Jane had together before the _Normandy_ went down. They were on the Presidium during the night cycle. Jane was wearing a green dress that matched her eyes, Alex was decked out in a white dress shirt and pants with said Commander in his arms bridal style. Both grinning at the camera with an aura of happiness around them.

It was a perfect date...one that they both cherished.

A tear fell down his face, followed soon by another. Alex couldn't stop them anymore, he had fought hard to keep his emotions down long enough for him to get to the here and now.

But at this moment everything came crashing down on him. He may have been strong willed and could shut his emotions down for the sake of the mission. But under all his strength, his cybernetics and his training...he was still Human. A Human suffering from the worst kind of wound imaginable.

A broken heart, and the regret for not saving the woman he loves.

X

**Alexander 'Maverick' Drake**

**Hidden Base - Planet Enos**

**October 1, 2184 - 22:55 hours**

_**"Initiating Docking Procedures." **_Alex awoke when he heard Prophet speak. The shuttle had already passed through the atmosphere and was approaching the outpost where he and the others had set up shop almost a year ago. The one place where no one had been able to find them...yet.

The hangar bay doors opened and the shuttle touched down in its rightful place right next to the shooting range he and Chellick had set up a long time ago.

Grabbing his helmet and bow, Alex opened the hatch and stepped out into the hanger/cargo area where Chellick was at the shooting range testing out his new sniper rifle. The Turian looked over his shoulder after ejecting a spent thermal clip and nodded to his long time friend. "Welcome home, Alex." he said setting the rifle aside as they walked to the elevator together to join the others.

Alex's eyes remained unblinking as they stepped on the lift. "Yeah...home sweet home." he muttered emotionless as the doors slid closed.

_**A/N: And here we are, coming back around full circle. The ramifications of what Alex had done will be revealed in the next chapter along with a few other surprising pieces of information to help bring this thing to a whole new level. And with another year before Jane's resurrection things are just getting started.**_

_**Till next time, stay tuned guys!**_


	5. Smooth Operation

_**A/N: I'm back guys! Sorry about the wait, I've spent the last few days in the hospital recovering from an accident at work. Got electrocuted by some frayed wires and they had to make sure my heart didn't stop. Christ, they said I was damn lucky. **_

_**But enough about me getting fried. It's about time I got back to doing what I do best. And since I've gotten some well deserved paid leave, I got some good time on my hands. So let's get on with it! (I own nothing)**_

**Alexander 'Maverick' Drake**

**Hidden Base - Planet Enos**

**October 1, 2184 - 23:11 hours**

As the lift ascended Alex thought about how things had changed so much in the last year, and not just with him and the others.

The original Citadel Council had been stripped of their position and a new Council had taken their place. And with the species governments paying closer attention to the on goings of the station a lot of changes had been made.

Among those were the findings of several corrupt and bought out political figures that had been found, tried and removed from their respected positions. This also included a handful of Spectres who had been double-dealing under the table.

Tela Vasir had been on that list, but the now Ex-Asari Spectre had went into hiding shortly after being found out. Most likely into the Shadow Brokers pocket where she had been delving into for god knew how long.

Anderson remained on the Council. It wasn't what he wanted to do, but the ex-Alliance Captain knew that he could do some good in his current position and vowed to help where he could.

And with Udina now under 24/7 surveillance for suspicion of corruption, Anderson was unhindered in the choices he made for the betterment of Humanity and the galactic community.

The four Council governments were also taking the necessary steps to prepare for the Reapers. Working together and pooling resources to strengthen the armor, barriers and weaponry of their ships. And to also find ways of detecting indoctrination in people who could be exposed to Reaper technology.

However, not everything was good.

Cerberus and the Shadow Broker's forces had been on the move a lot more. It seemed that their respected networks picked up the intel he had given the Council races and were preparing themselves as well. Though the Post-Human knew that both forces would only prove to be a hindrance to what they were all trying to achieve.

And Alex would be damned if he let that happen.

Also, with the Council races upgrading their military strength, those living in the Terminus Systems had started to grow uneasy. Worrying about a possible attack. But Alex saw this coming, taking a trip to Omega and sitting down with Aria and explaining what had happened, even giving her a copy of the data he sent out to the Council races.

The pirate Queen had been pissed at first that the old Council would even attempt to hide this. But afterword, in a rare moment, she thanked the nano soldier and offered any help she could should he need it in the future for giving her such vital intel.

With the Terminus Systems going back to neutral after Aria took the reigns on the situation, Alex slipped back into what he had been doing for the last year.

Like Chellick had said, he became a hired gun for those with honest intentions. Dealing with out of control slavers, mercs, and pirates throughout Terminus Space. Earning good creds and a large stockpile of arms, armor, tech, and salvage to help him and his friends set up a very stable operation on Enos.

The Council races were still looking for him. Either for incarceration or for more intel he never knew since he avoided going into Council Space as much as possible.

He stayed in contact with Anderson and Admiral Hackett, even doing a few jobs for the Alliance since they weren't allowed within the Terminus boarders. The two also kept him informed of what had been going on while he was away and was glad for their help.

Alex had also stayed in contact with as many members of the _Normandy_ crew as he could. Wrex had gathered more Krogan under the Clan Urdnot banner for a better chance at life. The Warlord told Alex that he'd be welcomed on Tuchunka and dared anyone to try and harm an honorary member of his clan.

Garrus had left C-Sec and was currently on Omega under the alias Archangel. Having already gathered his team and was attempting to deal with the merc problem on the infamous station. Thankfully he kept in touch with Ashley, who was on the fast track to becoming Lieutenant-Commander, as they kept their relationship strong even at a distance.

Though she had no idea what he was really doing. And he might regret that later.

Tali was still with the flotilla and was working on her new home aboard the _Rayya_ after giving them her pilgrimage gift. Alex had sent her a warning about an imminent attack from Cerberus that he had intercepted a few months after coming to Enos and managed to save a lot of lives in the process. Tali had sent a tearful thank you while Reena nearly squeezed the life out of him from the hug she had given.

Kaidan had gotten through his rehab and had become Lieutenant-Commander for his actions in the fight against the Geth and Saren. He was currently at Grissom Academy for a little down time, teaching students to use biotics for about another year before being put back on active duty again.

Ashley was working with a squad of marines under her command as they ran a few small ops on the edge of Terminus Space. The Chief was more than ready to lead after the time she spent with Alex and Jane, and was going to do her part to make sure that what happened to the _Normandy_ didn't happen again.

Liara...Liara had become a well known information broker on Illium. Though Alex knew of her true purpose for doing this. He had also known that she had given Jane's body to Cerberus for the Lazarus Project after rescuing her from the Shadow Broker.

He didn't like it, but knew that only Cerberus would have the funds and the equipment to bring her back. So the nano soldier gritted his teeth and bore through it until it was the time of her return. And he was going to cause as much collateral damage to both factions until she did come back.

X

The elevator stopped on the top floor and opened into the op center allowing Alex and Chellick off. Reena and Zen were waiting for them as they approached the table in the center. The outpost had also changed by leaps and bounds. Once they established themselves with a couple of information brokers who were impressed with the Post-Human's skills, missions came at them from all sides.

Alex mostly went on ops alone, but every so often Chellick, Reena and even Zen would tag along for a piece of the action. They worked well together as a team and it was a perfect dynamic for them.

After the credits started coming in they cleaned up, upgraded, and furnished their new dwelling so well that it became not only a base of operations; but a home as well.

"Mission success?" asked Zen as they stood around the table together and already knowing the answer.

Alex pulled an OSD from his pack and set it on the table. "They had a larger force waiting just incase things went wrong. They didn't expect one person getting in and out." said the nano soldier.

"Just how many of them did you kill down there?" asked Chellick crossing his arms and smirking.

"Lost count around 25. But Cerberus should know better than to fuck with me after all the operatives of theirs I've put down in the last year." said the nano soldier running a hand through his hair.

Reena looked down at the datapad in front of her, "Things have gotten worse out there from what I could find." she said sliding it over to Alex who looked it over. "Two more colonies went dark a few days ago. Same MO as the last ones making 15 in the last year." explained the Quarian.

Alex sighed, the Collectors had been moving through the Terminus kidnapping colonies every time they turned around. He'd gone to a few of the colonies that were attacked hoping to find either evidence of the attacks or even survivors but always kept coming up empty.

The bug bastards were thorough, he'd give them that. But nothing and nobody was perfect. They'd mess up eventually, and he'd be there to stomp them into the ground when they did.

"Just another thing for us to look into." said the Post-Human setting the datapad aside. "Have we established contact with our _friend_?" he asked looking at his Quarian friend.

Reena nodded, "I sent the encrypted message out, we should be hearing back from them within the next day or so." she replied.

"Good." Alex looked to the center of the table. "How are our other operations Prophet?"

The holo-tank in the middle of the table lit up and a form materialized. A small-scale version of Major Laurence Barnes wearing the nano suit except for the helmet appeared. The hologram projection was blood-red in color but matched the original user of the nano suit perfectly.

_**"All Operations are Functioning Within Normal Parameters. No Abnormalities Detected."**_ said the AI.

It had taken Alex a little time to build the AI a hologram form, but when he had it made it a lot easier to maintain the outpost. Prophet had been able to replicate its form in a way that allowed it to run the systems in their base and remain in the nano suit when Alex was in a field.

This worked out perfectly, especially since the group had managed to buy shares in certain companies that dealt with weapons manufacturing, mining, and technology upgrades in different corners of the galaxy that the AI could keep track of easily.

Prophet was evolving on its own as quickly as the nano suit itself. In a few instances, Alex could hear Barnes' personality come through it every now and again. Something that made the nano soldier wonder if his predecessor left more than the suit behind when he died.

"Keep a close eye on them and let me know of any changes." said Alex. The AI nodded and vanished back into the table.

Zen's eye looked over at the Post-Human who was leaning heavily on the table. Hand's braced on the surface as his eyes looked devoid of conscious thought. "You need sleep." he grunted bluntly.

Alex shook his head and blinked a few times. "I'm fine." he said standing back upright.

"No, you're not Alex." said Reena. "You've been running yourself ragged for weeks now. All of this can wait, you need rest."

"They're right. You're just going to get yourself killed if you keep going like this." agreed Chellick.

Rubbing the stubble on his face, Alex knew that he was fighting a losing battle with them and sighed. "Alright...alright. Just let me know when our message is received." he stepped away from the table and went back into the elevator and hitting the panel for the living quarters.

When the doors slid closed the three still in the room sighed together, "He's getting worse..." said Reena concerned.

"It's to be expected." said Zen. "Losing one's bondmate causes a rift in their mind. The pyjak is suffering in a way many could understand." The Krogan's lone eye shined over with an unknown emotion for just a moment before going back to normal.

"Experience?" asked Chellick gently.

The old Warlord looked out the large window of the op center as he thought back to a time that he tried to keep buried. "I was bonded to an Asari long ago. She was the only one to treat me with any trust or respect at the time. For the first time in my pathetic excuse for a life since the Krogan Rebellions, I had purpose again."

Reena stepped closer to her Turian lover and wrapped her arms around him. "What happened to her?" she asked.

Zen's eye narrowed, "She was killed by a Krogan from a rival clan. I killed his son several years prior and he was out for vengeance." he turned to them with a vicious sneer on his scarred face. "I found the bastard not long afterward. By the time I was done, he was begging for his pitiful life to be spared. I avenged my bondmate and made her killer pay with every drop of his cowardly blood!"

It took a minute for him to calm down before speaking again. "There was never anyone else after her. No one would ever match up to her beauty, her warrior spirit, or her heart. This old bastard was in love once...but never again."

"I'm sorry Zen." said Chellick tightening his grip around Reena. Wondering how horrible life would be if the young Quarian wasn't in his life.

The old Krogan breathed out, "It's been so long since that day. But I know what Alex is enduring. It's not something you can come back from without scars. And after what he's been through, it's surprising that he can take even more."

Reena looked to the elevator and wondered the same. How much more trauma could Alex sustain before he broke completely?

X

Stepping out of the shower in his private bathroom, Alex looked at himself in the mirror. Despite getting clean, the nano soldier still looked haggard and exhausted from the last year. His reflection showed a broken man who had fallen so far into the pit that he had nearly been swallowed.

Reaching into one of the cabinets, he took out a shaver and started hacking away the long hair on his head. After a few minutes, Alex's head was shaved down like the way it was a year ago. Looking more like his old self if even by a little.

Tossing the shaver aside, he stepped into his room and dressed in a white t-shirt and jeans before laying down on his bed. Much like the rest of the outpost, his room had been refurnished and looked more like a place worth living in instead of an abandoned husk. A collection of datapads layed scattered across the table in the center of the room and a couple of dismantled weapons laid on the floor and the desk nearby

His nano suit set up in a case in the corner of the room with his terminal set up to it and his bow on the table next to it.

Taking the original blueprints for the bow he had lost when the _Normandy_ was destroyed, the nano soldier had improved on the design and made it more advanced than he had before.

Instead of loading arrows individually, he had a clip feed system set up that would despense a condensed arrow into the proper place before extending itself to the proper size allowing the user to fire it within a second after it's despensed.

It was through the new clip feed system he was able to make a couple new kinds of arrows. Originally he had regular, High-Explosive, and eezo arrows. But after some experimenting, he had managed to make two more.

The electro-shock arrows, which delivered a 10,000 volt payload on contact via a charged battery that was encased within the extendable shaft of the arrow. The arrow could not only incapacitate, or even kill an enemy, but also worked like a precise overload that could short out shields and tech effectively.

He also created the fragmentation arrow. Unlike the HE-arrow, the frag-arrow exploded on contact. It had half the power the HE-arrow had, but it caused a decent amount of damage and could cripple multiple targets at once from the shrapnel discharge after the explosion.

Alex had taken all five arrow types and condensed them into clips for each type, though he could only have a certain number of arrows per clip. Regular bolts came in clips of 10. HE 3. Eezo 4. Electro-Shock 5. And Frag 4. If he could plan the situation out right, each one would ensure 100% combat effectiveness with his new bow.

He renamed his new creation the Predator Bow V2, and it worked much better than the original ever had. But it wasn't the only project he had worked on.

The Post-Human had also been experimenting with nano technology. Taking samples from the nano suit itself and integrating it with other pieces of technology. The first successful project had been the Kodiac that had been in the hanger of the outpost after they arrived.

The small vessel's engines had been damaged and several systems had been shot to hell and needed a lot of work before it was space worthy again.

After two months worth of work, Alex, Chellick and Reena had gotten the stealth shuttle operational again. Repainted it, installed a good weapons system, upgraded the armor, and opened everything up for the nano soldier to incorporate the suit's technology to it.

With trial and error, Alex had upgraded the Kodiac's stealth systems to be nearly as effective as the nano suit's. Which also included a cloaking ability that fed off of the vessel's FTL drive making it extremely effective when getting in and out of hotspots.

The group had named the one of a kind shuttle the _Wraith_ because of it's improved stealth systems.

Alex had a couple other projects that he was still working on in his spare time. But after yesterdays mission those would have to be put on the back burner until everything else played out.

Feeling exhaustion finally creeping up on him, the nano soldier looked at the holo of him and Jane that he had put on the bedside table before he closed his eyes and slipped into the darkness that embraced him.

X

_Darkness and flames surrounded him on all sides. The stars in the distance blocked out by the debris that scattered through the open vacuum. _

_But the only thing that mattered to him was the one in his arms. Her dented black and red N7 armor shining from the blaze that surrounded them on all sides. Her jade green eyes looking at him through her visor._

_He could see the fear in those eyes. Pleading. But he couldn't move, something had him frozen in place and all he could do was watch as she was ripped from his arms and sent hurling into the darkess. _

_Reaching out for her, but she was already gone. And through the darkness her voice rang out, full of malice and hate._

_"Why did you let me die?" _

X

Alex bolted awake, sweat pouring down his newly reshaved scalp as he breathed heavily.

It was a common occurence that had happened almost every other night. These nightmares were far worse than the ones he had before and had the biggest impact on his mind and heart. Seeing Jane die again and again in his subconscious had taken its toll on him and everyone was starting to see it.

Checking his omni-tool he saw that he had been asleep for about nine hours. The longest he had ever slept in a long time. And he oddly felt more refreshed than he had before.

His omni-tool buzzed and he answered the call that was coming through, "Yeah?" he asked clearing his throat.

Reena's face appeared on the small holo-screen that popped up. "Sorry to wake you up Alex. But we got a response from the message that was sent out. She want's to talk to you immediately." said the Quarian.

"I was already awake." said Alex rubbing his eyes. "I'll be right up. Set up the vid-com room."

His friend nodded as the call ended. The nano soldier got up and stretched a little, cracking his neck to the side before leaving the room and passing through the mess hall/rec room where Chellick was watching some kind of sport on tv.

After a quick ride on the elevator, Alex walked through the op center where Reena was waiting outside the comm room. "You look a little better." she commented.

Alex nodded, "Yeah...nightmares are still there. But at least I can sleep a little bit more now." he admitted.

Reena stepped forward and wrapped her lithe arms around her Human friend. "Alex. I know you miss her. Keelah knows what I'd be like if I lost Chellick." she leaned back from the hug and met his gaze. "Just...you can talk to us. Don't push us out if your hurting."

The nano soldier closed his eyes and let a breath out through his nose. "Alright...I just...I can't let her go."

"I know Alex. No one's telling you to." said Reena. "But don't let what happened to her kill you. And that's what's been happening. We've seen how you've been on certain missions. You go in and slaughter damn near everything. You put yourself in riskier situations at almost every turn."

The Quarian gripped his arms a little tighter, "Is this what she would have wanted? You to be throwing your life away like that?"

The Post-Human sighed again, "No. And you're right. But right now we have bigger things to deal with." he said heading to the comm room.

Reena shook her head and went to walk away, "Reena." she paused and looked back at the comm room where Alex stood on the threshold. "Thank you. You, Chellick and Zen have been there through all of this. I can't tell you how much that means to me." he said smiling at her over his shoulder before stepping into the room.

"Well...it's a start." the young Quarian said before going off to join her lover.

X

Alex stood infront of the terminal that would link him to the person he had wanted to speak to for some time now.

The whole reason for his mission on Tarus and it would prove to be beneficial to everyone in the coming war against the Reapers and even Cerberus when the time finally came. It was a long shot, and things would change drastically when this all came about. But in the end, everything would work out for the best.

_**"Connection Established."**_ said Prophet.

"Patch her through." said Alex as a form materialized before him. The image of a familiar Asari smiled at him.

"Hello Alex." said Liara. "How have you been?" she asked taking in his appearance and the fading dark circles under his eyes.

"Been better. I take it you got our message?" he asked.

She nodded, "I did. And you can imagine my surprise when you mentioned that you and your team uncovered vital data. My only questions are what is it? And why did you inform me of this?"

The nano soldier took a deep breath, "The information pertains you you specifically And because...I know, Liara. I know the truth." he said bluntly.

Liara tilted her head, "I'm afraid I don't understand. What do you mean?"

"I mean I know what you did." said Alex clenching his fists slightly then releasing them. "I know, that you had taken Jane's body from the Shadow Broker and then gave her to Cerberus. I know that the bastard was planning on trading her to the Collectors...I also know that you're tracking him down with what resources you have."

The young Asari was in a state of shock, face pale as Alex narrowed his gaze right back at her.

"How...How did you find out?" she asked. He voice quivering a little.

"You, Cerberus, and the Shadow Broker aren't nearly as subtle as you think. I've picked up pockets of information all over the place leading to what everyone was planning." said Alex. "I also figured out that your friend Farron was recently taken by the Shadow Broker without your knowing."

Liara's shock was quickly replaced with rage, "He took Ferron? How?"

Alex brought up his omni-tool. "The Broker caught on to his double, and even triple agent style of doing things. He's taken him to a secured location which I know is his main base of operations."

The young Asari looked at her old friend in both wonder and confusion. "How do you know Farron was taken to the Shadow Broker's main base? No one's been able to locate it in Goddess knows how long."

Holding up the OSD in his hand, the nano soldier smirked. "That's the vital data I was telling you about. I stopped a bunch of Cerberus flunkies from decrypting a file that contained the coordinates to the Broker's main base. Right now...I'm one of only a select few who know where he is."

Tension built in the air. Alex knew that underneath the innocent archeology major that Liara had portrayed lied a strong, and even cut throat mistress of data. He was it clear as day the moment they met even without his prior knowledge.

Liara's blue eyes shifted from the OSD to the grey orbs of the Post-Human. "I sense that there is a trade to be made here. Very well, Alex. What will it cost me?" she asked slipping into her professional persona.

"Not like this." said Alex slipping the OSD in his pocket. "Something this important can't be found out incase someone hacked the line. We need to meet face to face, and I'll give you the data. As for what I want in exchange?" His grey eyes shined over with a killing intent so strong that the Asari felt fear travel up her spine. "I want to be there, and kill him myself." he said darkly.

"Alex, this is a delicate matter and I-" "It's not up for negotiation Liara." Alex said cutting her off. "You want the Broker? So do I. We'll have a better chance at storming his base as a team. And you're right, it is a delicate situation. But you know how I can operate in all forms on the battlefield."

"But what is your stake in this?" asked Liara.

The nano soldier's eye narrowed, "Like I already said. He tried to give _her_ to the Collectors...I'm going to make him pay for that in spades when we find him." he said with conviction and malice lacing his voice.

Liara knew there was no getting around it. Alex couldn't be moved when he set his mind to something, an honorable trait that many people admired. "Very well Alex. I am currently on Illium, though you probably know that too. I'll set everything up for your arrival and let you know where we can meet to discuss our plans."

Alex nodded, "I'll be there Liara." he turned to end the call when she stopped him.

"Alex." He looked up and saw the saddened look on her face. "I'm so sorry...for what I did. I know I had no right to disturb her rest. But the galaxy needs her now more than ever. And I believed that..." she trailed off when he raised a hand to stop her.

"Will they bring her back...just the way she was?" he asked looking at her with an array of emotions going through his eyes. "Will she remember everything that happened? Will she..." he choked on his words a little. "Will she remember me?"

For the first time in a long time, Liara was at a loss for words. After what had happened to the _Normandy_ and her Commander, Alex had stone-walled himself when it came to his lost love. To see underneath the cracked armor he had built around himself was both eye opening and heart wrenching.

Super soldier or no, Alex Drake was still a man. And one that had suffered for a little over a year now.

"Alex..." Liara paused, choosing her words carefully. "The Lazarus Project Cerberus is performing on her, it's a science never heard of before. I was skeptical at first, but they possess both the funds and the resources to do this. They swore to bring her back just the way she was when she died. As much as I hated to give her to them after the things they have done...I had little options. All we can do is hope and pray."

Alex blew out a slow breath, "Thank you for your honesty." he said genuinely. "Guess I'll have to keep my fingers crossed then."

Liara nodded, "We all will have to. I may not have faith in Cerberus, but I have faith in Jane. Both of you were known to pull off the impossible, I don't see this being any different."

The nano soldier looked at his friend and smiled, "I forgive you, Liara. And I know she will too when we see her again."

Smiling back, the Asari couldn't help but ask. "Don't you mean _if_ she comes back, Alex?"

Turning from the hologram, Alex began to leave the room. "Like you said, we gotta have faith. And right now, that's in pretty short supply these days." He paused at the door and looked back at her. "We'll be at Illium in a few days. I'll let you know when we're a day out."

Liara nodded again, "See you soon Alex." the hologram vanished.

Alex continued his treck, bringing up his omni-tool as he headed for the elevator. "Prophet, let everyone know they need to gear up. We're heading to Illium to meet up with someone. Let them know we're going hunting."

_**"Acknowledged."**_ replied the AI as the lift started to descend.

The nano soldier cracked his knuckles, "It's time to put the big bad Shadow Broker out of business." he said darkly.

_**A/N: More changes in canon are in motion. And with the universe as we know it shifting dramatically from what Alex has already done how much farther will he go? Only time will tell.**_

_**Will update quick as I can, but the doc said to take it easy for a little while. So I'll do my damn best!**_


	6. Fighting Shadows Pt 1

_**A/N: Two within 24 hours, this is starting to look familiar. I wanted to thank those who messaged me asking about my condition right now. And let me tell you guys that I'm doing just fine and I should make a full recovery in no time at all. (And to some of my fellow comic book readers, no I didn't get any super powers...which kinda sucks!)**_

_**Anyway, this next chapter is part one in this section of the story. And there will be plenty of action, fighting and death along with a few twists and turns to tune things up. So let's get this started.**_

_**I own nothing**_

**Alexander 'Maverick' Drake**

_**MSV Vecta**_** - Enroute to Illium**

**October 4, 2184 - 11:18 hours**

Much like the outpost that the team had made their home for the last year. The _Vecta_ had also had some improvements. One of which was a strong enough weapon system to help them defend themselves in space combat.

Reena had been able to upgrade the ships barriers to assist with the weapons. It wasn't as powerful as powerful as military grade ships but it would serve its purpose should they encounter any hostiles.

"We're about another two hours out from Illium." said Chellick from the pilot's seat.

Alex stood behind him in his nano suit as he saw the Asari colony slowly approaching through the view port. **"Let me know when we've docked. If the Shadow Broker finds out we have data like this he'll pull out all the stops to get his hands on it. We need to be ready."** he said before heading out of the bridge, passing by Reena at the navigation terminal on his way toward the cargo hold where the _Wraith_ was stationed and the armory was set up.

Zen was already there making sure that all of their weapons and armor was ready for the upcoming mission.

Going down the racks of armaments, the nano soldier began to pick out the weapons he would need. After spending the last year stocking up on the best weapons they could afford, coupled with raiding multiple ships and warehouses that were under the control of either merc factions or in some cases Cerberus, they had collected a decent amount of weaponry.

Laying the selected guns out on a nearby bench, Alex began to check each one over extensively. Given what they would be facing he wanted to make sure he had the right equipment for the job.

That in mind, the Post-Human has chosen two Paladin heavy pistols, a Black Widow sniper rifle, and a Harrier assault rifle. The Paladins and the Black Widow were advanced and powerful weapons that were reserved for those with Spectre status or higher in Council Space. Both of which were found in an illegal shipment that had was being transported out of the system on a ship run by Eclipse mercs.

The Harrier rifle was a prototype created by Cerberus. Based off of the Mattock rifle's design, only instead of firing single shot it was able to fire full auto while maintaining good accuracy.

They were effective weapons, Alex had used them all at several times for different missions depending on what he had faced at the time. And right now he'd need all of them plus his bow just to take down the Shadow Broker.

After checking each weapon over and making sure they were functioning properly, the nano soldier collapsed them into their smaller forms and strapping them on to the proper places on his suit. _"Alex, we're docking at Nos Astra now. A Concierge is waiting for us."_

**"On my way up. Let Reena and Zen know to arm up and be ready just in case. I'll go talk to Liara and set things up."** said Alex heading back up to the bridge.

_"Gotcha. Good luck out there man." _said Chellick.

X

Stepping off of the ship, Alex looked out over the vast metropolis that was Nos Astra. Illium was said to be one of the biggest business capitals on this side of the Traverse, and the center for a large portion of information trafficking in the sector.

But deep underneath the surface, Illium was just as bad as Omega. Considering that it was marked as the 'gateway to the Terminus' it wasn't that much of a surprise.

The place was full of corrupt business heads, crime lords, and slavers that could hide in plain sight without fear of being caught. It was a perfect place for him to walk around and not have someone drag him off into Council Space.

They'd most likely try to put a bullet in his head...which gave him an excuse to kill any SOB that tried.

Alex was pulled from his thoughts as an Asari approached him flanked by two LOKI mechs. "Welcome to Nos Astra, Maverick. I've been instructed to waive all docking and administration fees for your visit." said the Concierge kindly.

**"I take it you were sent on behalf of the one I'm here to meet."** said the nano soldier.

The Asari nodded, "Yes. Liara T'Soni vouched for your conduct and paid all fees that you would normally incur." she brought up her omni-tool and checked a few things. "She also asked that I direct you to her office near the trading floor as soon as possible when you arrived."

**"Thank you. I'll let you know if I need anything else."** said Alex.

"Again, welcome to our city. Please enjoy your stay." said the Concierge with a bow before she and the mechs walked away.

When the Asari was out of sight, Alex took a look around to make sure no one was in the vicinity. _**"Cloak Engaged."**_ he vanished from sight before making his way out of the docking area, slipping from shadow to shadow in order to avoid people on his way to the trading floor.

From there he made sure to move slowly and precisely to steer clear of the crowds that mobbed the many kiosks and terminals set up by shop owners and merchants.

He found the office were his old friend was set up and made for the stairs. Slipping past the administrations desk and having Prophet hack the door before slipping inside. The Asari running the desk looked up when she heard the door close but didn't see anything before going back to work.

X

Inside the office. Liara stood facing the large window that overlooked the trade floor from her office with a hologram of a Human before her. "Have you faced an Asari Commando unit before? Few Humans have." she said in an emotionless tone that reminded Alex a lot of her mother while she was indoctrinated.

The Post-Human ran a scan of the room as the two kept speaking and found over four listening devices hidden in the office. Sticking to the corner, he brought up his omni-tool and prepared to fire an overload.

"I'll make this simple." Liara continued. "Either you pay me, or I flay you alive. With my mind." she finished with a darker tone.

When the call ended Alex fired the overload shutting down everything electronic in the room and causing it to go dark. Liara dropped the datapad she had been holding and summoned her biotics as the nano soldier stepped out of the shadows and decloak. **"It's been a while, Liara."** he said not threatened by her in the slightest.

Liara let out a breath and withdrew the dark energy around her. "Alex. I see you still know how to make an entrance." she said relaxing a little.

**"Your office was bugged. I had to take out the devices before we could talk." **he said pulling up a chair in front of her desk and sitting down. Liara sat on the other side a moment later.

"I thought I cleared all the bugs from my office. How could someone even get in here?" she wondered out loud.

**"My best guess, whoever could gain access when your not around."** said Alex. **"With you on the Shadow Broker's shit list, anyone could be on his payroll."**

"Nyxeris..." Liara muttered under her breath. "I'll deal with this later. What of the data?"

The Post-Human took out the OSD containing the coordinates and set it on the desk. **"It's all there. Encrypted so that no one else other than me and Prophet can crack it. Not that I don't trust you, Liara. It's everyone else around here that I don't."**

Liara picked up the OSD and looked it over before sighing. "And your terms? You still will not be moved will you?"

Alex shook his head. **"No. And like I said before, it's non-negotiable. You want the coordinates? I'm coming along and helping bring this fucker down. Simple as that. Chellick, Reena and Zen are all more than ready to make sure we get there in one piece."**

He had her beat. As long as he had the encryption key she'd never be able to get the coordinates to the Shadow Broker's hide out. "And Ferron?" she asked worried about her Drell friend.

**"He's being kept in the same place. Guess the Broker wanted to keep him close to interrogate him personally."** said the nano soldier. **"We'll save him Liara. I promise."**

The Asari nodded, "Very well. I need to head back to my apartment and gather a few things that we will need before we make our plans." she said standing.

Alex followed suit as she walked around the desk and stood before him. Without a word, the young Asari wrapped her arms around the large Human in an embrace. "It's good to see you again Alex. And I'm so sorry, for what I did. I wish there could have been another way."

Wrapping his arms around her, Alex felt the deep honesty in her words. "It's okay, Liara." he said un-filtering his voice. "I never stopped trusting you or anyone else from the _Normandy_. And I won't stop now. If this can bring her back to us...to me. Than I don't care."

Backing away from one another, Liara nodded again. "We should get started. We don't want to run the risk of the Shadow Broker finding out that we have this." she said pocketing the OSD and heading to the door.

**"I'll meet you there in an hour." **said Alex reactivating his cloak as she exited the office with him on her heels.

"Nyxeris, I'm taking off for the day. Redirect any important calls to my private channel." said Liara as she headed down the stairs.

The secretary watched her go with a fake smile until she was out of sight. She dropped the facade and brought up her omni-tool. _"Yes?"_ came a voice from the other end of the line. Before she could utter a word, a large hand wrapped around her throat. Lifting her off her chair and pinning her to the wall as Alex appeared out of thin air.

He shorted out the device before turning his attention back to the wide eyed spy. **"Hello...Observer."** he said making her face pale. **"Don't worry, your boss will be joining you soon enough." **

Alex slammed her hard into the wall, hearing the satisfying sound of her neck snapping on impact before dropping the body to the floor. **"That should make things go by a little more smoothly."** he mumbled before activating his cloak once more and heading off back to the ship.

X

**Alexander 'Maverick' Drake**

**Liara's Apartment - Nos Astra**

**October 4, 2184 - 15:32 hours**

After letting the others in on what was going on, Alex and Chellick grabbed a rental skycar and made their way to Liara's apartment building. "You think she'll keep her word?" asked the Turain as they made their way through traffic.

Alex cocked the slid back on one of his Paladins before holstering it. **"Liara can be trusted. Believe me, if there was anyone out there that I could count on not including you guys she'd be one of them." **he said as they banked right and made their way to the apartment building where the Asari lived.

Parking the car and getting out. The duo made their way into the building and rode the elevator to the proper floor and headed to the right door.

A feeling in the pit of his gut made the nano soldier pause. He stopped Chellick a few feet from the door. **"Something doesn't feel right."** he said focusing on the door. _**"Nano Vision Enable."**_

The visor's vision mode had been upgraded from its previous abilities. Alex now had the ability to see people through solid walls as long as it wasn't too thick.

When he looked into his friend's apartment he saw nothing moving and drew one of his pistols. **"She's not in there. Something's wrong." **Chellick drew his Avenger assault rifle while the nano soldier hacked the door lock.

When the door slid open the duo stormed the apartment, checking left, right and center for any hostiles.

The place was a wreck. The kitchen table had been knocked over, glass cases that held Prothean artifacts that Liara had collected in her travels were shattered with shards laying everywhere. Bullet marks were on various walls and even the floor along with the bodies of three mercs wearing bone white armor and helmets with glowing red eye pieces and a red arrow-like design on the chest plates.

There was no sign of Liara.

"Someone beat us here." said Chellick checking the bodies of one of the mercs, letting his detective side take over. "I've never seen this insignia before." he wondered looking at the symbol on the man's armor.

**"They work for the Shadow Broker. That's his sign."** said Alex as he looked around the apartment. His visor scanning everything for evidence pointing to what happened and where Liara could be right now.

"Guess you were right about him coming after her." said the ex-detective standing up and looking around the room. "The question is, where is she now?"

Alex's visor marked several things around the room. Spent thermal clips. Blood splatter that didn't match Liara's DNA. But what stuck out was the shattered window in the living room. **"This is how they got in." **said the Post-Human looking at the window. **"They tried to catch her off guard. But they didn't count on the fact she was waiting for something like this to happen."**

He looked around again, **"And if that's the case, then she would have left something behind for us to find. And we better find it fast, the local cops will probably be here any minute."**

The two split up and began to comb over everything in the apartment. Checking artwork, artifacts, terminals, anything that the Asari could have used to hide anything for them to go on.

Heading up to the loft where the bed was located. Alex headed straight for the bedside table where a holo of the _Normandy_ was sitting next to another holo of the crew that had been taken a week after Sovereign's defeat.

He picked up the one of the ship first and looked it over, nothing happened. Setting it down he picked up the one of the crew and the image changed to the one of him an Jane. The very same one that he had back home since Liara was the one that took it.

_'Why would she have a holo of me and Jane?'_ he thought. It hit him then, setting the holo down he went back down the stairs and into the living room.

In the far corner in a glass case similar to that of the ones that held the Prothean artifacts, was the back piece of Jane's N7 armor. **"Chellick, over here." **Alex said approaching the glass.

The Turian jogged over and stood next to him, "Is that a piece of Shepard's armor? What's she doing with it?" he asked as the nano soldier approached the case, running his fingers over the glass gently as he gazed at the piece of severly damaged armor.

Memories passed through his mind's eye for a few moments before he shook his head. He activated his omni-tool and scanned the case. A small holo-display came up on the base of the case. Alex pressed his hand over it and a compartment popped open on the side, sliding out to reveal an OSD laying inside. **"Here we go."** he said picking it up and looking it over.

"Think it'll lead us to her?" asked Chellick.

**"One way to find out."** said Alex as they headed over to the terminals they looked over earlier and inserted the OSD into the drive.

The screen before them fizzled a bit before Liara's face appeared. _"Alex, if your getting this than you know what has happened. I don't know how the Shadow Broker managed to track down the data you've given me, but I had to act fast."_

_"Inside this OSD are coordinates that will lead you to were I am. I couldn't run the risk of being discovered again. Destroy this OSD when you have the information, and be careful. I fear that the Shadow Broker may have more surprises waiting for us."_

_"Good luck."_ with that the image faded. Alex took down the coordinates before taking out the OSD and crushing it in his hand. **"Let's go, we're out of time."** Chellick nodded as they headed toward the door.

_**"Proximity Alert. Hostiles Detected."**_ Alex held up his fist, **"Company. Get into cover." **he whispered pressing his back to the side of the door and activating his cloak.

Chellick crouched down behind a book shelf with his rifle at the ready as the door slid open.

A group of five mercs wearing the same armor and symbol as the dead ones in the apartment entered wielding shotguns and assault rifles. "Spread out, tear this place apart." ordered the one in the lead.

Alex drew his knife as the group started to separate. Creeping up behind the closest merc and stabbing him hard in the lower back, jamming the blade deep into his spine. The merc shouted in pain as the nano soldier's cloak faded causing the other mercs to spin around.

Grabbing the still twitching merc's rifle, the Post-Human emptied the thermal clip into the merc standing in front of them and taking them down before he could level his own rifle.

Chellick poked up out of cover and opened fire on the remaining mercs to keep them off balance while Alex dropped the merc from his grasp. Drawing his own rifle and putting several rounds into another merc wielding a shotgun as they tried to get a line on his friend.

It took a total of 30 seconds, and the leader of the squad was all that was left. He raised his assault rifle and began firing on the nano soldier only for his opposition to cross the room too quick for him to track.

The butt of Alex's rifle connected hard with the side of the merc's helmeted head, shattering the eye pieces and knocking him to the floor before emptying the rest of the thermal clip into the prone body before he could stand up again.

**"More will be coming, we better get moving." **said the Post-Human ejecting the used clip and slamming in a fresh one as they headed for the door again.

However, they made it a total of three steps before a small canister flew through the open doorway and clattered to the ground in front of them. Alex's eyes widened **"GRENADE!"** he shouted, shoving Chellick hard to the side sending him over the kitchen table as he dove to the right. _**"Maximum Armor."**_

The grenade exploded sending a small amount of debris kicking up into the air as another group of mercs stormed the apartment.

Alex raised his rifle and fired on the group, dropping half of them before the clip was used up and switching to his Paladins. The remaining mercs opened fire on the nano soldier, the rounds bouncing harmlessly off of the suits heavy weave from the armor mode as he charged forward firing the sidearms.

Chellick got back to his feet and began spraying gunfire in the direction of the front door drawing the attention of the attackers while his friend finished them off.

The two heavy pistols registered again and again. Large holes being punched through white armor and blood flowing freely from the wounds with each successful hit. Alex put two rounds through the head of one last merc before everything went quiet again.

"Next time, will you warn me before launching me across the room like that?" asked the Turian rubbing his side that had made contact with the tables edge before he flipped.

**"Sorry, didn't have time to think."** said Alex as they lapsed into silence again.

It was through that silence that the duo heard the tell tale signs of engines powering up. Outside the windows of the apartment, a gunship baring the sign of the Shadow Broker hovered just outside. "SK'AK!" Chellick cursed loudly as they dove into cover.

The gunships heavy guns tore through the window and ripped the whole place apart. Alex pressed his back behind a pillar as the rounds chipped and dented the area around him. Looking over at Chellick, he saw that his friend was laying prone on the floor while the enemy vessel continued to fire a barrage of rounds into the large apartment.

Peering around the pillar, the nano soldier scanned the gunship and marked several weak points in the ships frame. _**"Tactical Options Available."**_ he holstered his pistols and drew the Black Widow and chambering a thermal clip. _**"Cloak Engaged."**_

He stood up and braced the large sniper rifle against the pillar and looked down the sights. Targeting the gunships left engine before he pulled the trigger.

The rifle kicked hard, but Alex's enhanced strength held it steady as the round pierced the weakened armor around the ships engine. Flames suddenly burst forth before the engine exploded causing the gunship to list to the right.

Without two engines to stabilize it, the ship began to lose control as the pilot struggled in the cockpit to maintain balance. This gave Alex the opportunity to chamber another thermal clip and pull the trigger again. The round went straight through the cockpit's reinforced canopy and pierced the pilot through the head.

With nothing to keep it up anymore the gunship began to roll as it plummeted toward the ground below.

**"All clear." **he called out reloading his sniper rifle again before switching it for his Harrier.

"Dammit, these guys really want us dead don't they." said Chellick picking up his rifle.

**"All the more reason for us to find Liara and take the Broker out before he does anything even more drastic."** said Alex as they left the ruined apartment and entered the elevator down the hall.

Chellick loaded a fresh thermal clip into his rifle and turned to his friend. "I'd bet my left mandible that there will be more waiting for us on the ground floor." he said as the lift descended toward the lobby of the apartment building.

Alex nodded and took out a grenade while holding his own rifle in the other hand. **"My thoughts exactly." **They pressed themselves on either side of the door to the elevator and waited for it to stop.

As they got closer to the ground, Alex's motion tracker lit up with about a dozen hostiles meaning that the mercs were setting up an ambush. **"Get ready."** he said priming the explosive. The doors opened and he tossed the grenade out seconds before a hail of gunfire came in through the opening and peppering the far wall of the lift.

The explosion was heard followed by the screams of agony from those who couldn't get out of the way in time. _**"Maximum Armor."**_ **"Stay behind me!"** Alex ordered as he stormed out gun blazing.

The bodies of a couple mercs laid mangled on the ground where the blast went off, but many of the group that had waited were still standing.

Two disoriented mercs that were close to the explosion went down first, their barriers and armor weakened from the blast as the rounds tore through them easily. The nano soldier quickly changed targets and took down another one that came up from behind a pillar nearby.

Chellick saw movement out of the corner of his eye and spun around in time to block a knife from hitting him in the back. He struggled with the merc for a few moments before getting his foot behind his opponents and tripping them. Taking the knife from the man during the fall and jamming it up into the weak part under his helmet.

By the front door, a female merc stepped up with a rocket launcher and took aim. Alex saw this and grabbed Chellick, pressing them to the nearest wall as a rocket flew past them and exploded inside the elevator where they had come from.

Two more mercs flanked the heavy gunner as they all continued to fire on the duo and giving them little room to move as the other hostiles began to regroup.

Thinking fast, the nano soldier tagged the remaining mercs on his HUD before he took out his bow and loaded a frag-clip, drawing the string back as the arrow came out. He let the bolt fly, hitting the female merc square in the chest causing it to explode taking all three out in the blast.

With the biggest threat neutralized, they could focus on mopping up the last of the hostiles in the room.

Chellick raised his rifle and took down another merc that was reaching for his dropped weapon while Alex let another arrow go taking out two more that were hiding behind the front desk. "Think we got them all?" asked the Turian while he reloaded.

The sound of several engines converging on the parking lot outside was his answer. Alex allowed another arrow to load itself as he drew the string back. **"We got more company outside. Hope your ready for another round."** he said as they approached the door.

"I've been with you thus far. Just wish we could have brought Zen along. Old bastard would probably love to revisit his glory days." said Chellick as they exited the building and took cover behind the closest car.

Poking his head up Alex observed their opposition. Another dozen mercs were waiting for them, the transport vehicles they came in on proving to be perfect cover as they waited for the two to step out into the open.

But it wasn't the mercs that really caught his attention. Instead his eyes were focused on the lone Asari standing in the center of all the troops.

Tela Vasir stood in a white version of her old armor. The Spectre symbol replaced by the Shadow Broker's insignia while the glow of her biotics bathed her and tne area around her in a blue glow. "I know you're here Maverick! Why don't you come out and face me!" she called out.

**"Not surprising to see her again."** Alex said before looking at Chellick. **"13 to 2 and she's the biggest threat. What do you think?"**

Chellick shook his head, "I'm a good shot, but taking on a dozen by myself isn't good odds for me."

Alex nodded and brought up his bow, **"Then let me even the playing field."** _**"Cloak Engaged." **_he stood up and fired the arrow he had ready. The troop transport on the right exploded sending mercs flying in all directions, a couple even flying over the railing to their death.

The second transport and a few of those around it suffered the same fate as the Post-Human ejected the spent arrow-clip as his cloak deactivated.

Vasir hadn't moved from her spot. The explosions and the death of the men around her not bothering her in the slightest as she glared at the nano soldier before her. "It's about time you stopped hiding." she sneered as the remaining five mercs got ready to attack.

**"Was it hiding? Or was I just making sure that it's just the two of us?"** asked Alex folding up his bow and taking out a Paladin.

The ex-Spectre clenched her fist, "I'm going to make you pay for fucking up my life. Do you have any idea what you did? Do you know how many people lost their jobs because of the new Council?"

The nano soldier shrugged, **"Maybe if they weren't corrupt assholes they wouldn't have lost everything. And as for you? I told you double dealing with the Shadow Broker would lead to nothing good. Now look at you. Forced to do the bastard's dirty work since he doesn't have the balls to do it himself."**

Vasir shook her head, "Making an enemy out of the Shadow Broker is a big mistake. Even for you. No one crosses him and lives to tell about it."

**"So says one of his many 'yes men'."** the Post-human replied. **"I honestly don't give a fuck about what pisses him off. He want's to start something? I'll gladly meet him face to face just to show him what happens when you mess with someone with almost nothing to lose."**

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Chellick beginning to move a little closer for a better shot at their opponents.

"Is this really about fighting him?" asked the Asari. "Or is this about what he tired to do with your precious Commander Shepard?"

Alex bristled, hearing the bitch say Jane's name like that caused his vision to tint red a little. He fought down his urge to kill her for the moment and focused so that Chellick could get into position. **"Why doesn't he come out of hiding and find out? I promise you it'll probably be the last thing he ever does in this lifetime."**

Everything around the two seemed to fade out. Vasir's enraged gaze met Alex's crimson visor as they waited for the other to make the first move.

In his peripheral vision, Alex saw Chellick had gotten into place and was ready.

"I'm giving you a chance, Maverick. Hand over the data T'Soni left behind and we'll let you and your friend live. Don't, and I'll end you like I should have years ago." said the Vasir as the dark energy around her got more intense.

The Post-Human rolled his shoulders. **"I have a better idea." **

In a flash his pistol was up and registered twice. Two mercs fell dead with holes through the center of their helmets before the others could bring their own weapons to bare.

The remaining mercs went to open fire only for Chellick to jump up and quickly took down two more with his rifle while their attention was focused on the nano soldier in front of them.

Alex aimed at the last merc and fired, the man's brains flew out the back of his head and he collapsed to the ground in a heap leaving just Vasir still standing. Still unfazed at the death around her and the fact that she was now alone.

**"How about we finish where we left off from back then." **said Alex ejecting the spent thermal clip from his pistol and loading a new one.

Vasir smirked as her body glowed brightly from her biotics. "Fine by me." she said before she launched herself forward with a biotic charge.

Alex began running toward her as well, ready to end this fight once and for all. _**"Maximum Armor."**_

_**A/N: Cliffhanger! That's right, it's time to see these two duke it out one final time before moving on to the bigger enemy. And with Alex's mind in the state that it's in god only knows what will happen from here. **_

_**Update will come soon, so don't go anywhere!**_


	7. Fighting Shadows Pt 2

_**A/N: It's taken me a little while, but I have the next chapter all set and ready to go for you guys! After spending a little time going over the past chapters I decided to mix things up a little. Someone once asked me if I could throw a little Renegade into the story every now and again to change the perspective a little. And I intend to do that right now.**_

_**I own nothing.**_

**Alexander 'Maverick' Drake**

**Outside Liara's Apartment - Nos Astra**

**October 4, 2184 - 15:43 hours**

A biotic enhance fist struck hard against his chest pushing him back several steps and dropping his energy meter by a third. Alex quickly blocked several more shots aimed at him by the furious Asari before him.

The nano soldier deflected haymaker before bringing his elbow up, catching Vasir in the chin and sending her staggering back.

She wiped the back of her hand and cleaning away the small trail of purple blood from her split lip she received. "You know, my boss could benefit from someone like you. Ever think about joining him? It's not like you're a Spectre anymore." she said as they began to circle one another.

Alex gripped his pistol in his right hand, **"Not gonna happen. Considering what he does to people who aren't on his side, I'd rather see him dead and rotting."** he said evenly. **"And if you're going to stand in my way, then that's going to be a problem."**

Vasir charged her biotics. "Funny, I was thinking the same thing." she threw a warp attack forcing the Post-Human to roll out of the way as the dark energy slammed into the side of a parked skycar and making a sizable dent in the metal.

Alex raised his pistol and fired several rounds as he ran at the Asari. She threw up a barrier to absorb the rounds and launched a throw hoping to take the nano soldier by surprise.

Seeing the attack coming, Alex leapt to the side. Pulling a grenade in mid-roll and throwing it at the ex-Spectre causing her to grab it with her biotics and throw it into the air as it exploded. Now distracted, the nano soldier drew his knife in his left hand and charged Vasir and stabbed forward.

The Asari threw up another barrier and stopped the knife an inch from her throat. But she didn't see the haymaker coming from the right as the barrel of Alex's pistol connected with the side of her head and knocking her into another car.

Re-aiming his gun, the Post-Human emptied the rest of this clip. Only for Vasir to grab the top of the skycar and flip herself up and over it, crouching down as the rounds struck the vehicle's frame.

Alex dumped the spent thermal clip and reloaded a fresh one. **"You can still walk away Vasir. This is will not end like the last time you and I met."** he said deadly serious.

Vasir grabbed a Vindicator battle rifle from her back and unfolded it in her hands. "You're right...it WON'T!" she leapt up, activating warp rounds on the rifle as she opened fire on her opponent.

_**"Maximum Armor." **_Alex ran left and slid into cover behind a skycar as the biotic enhanced rounds tore into his cover. He switched to his Harrier and fired back, forcing the ex-Spectre back into cover.

_"Alex, I got a line on Vasir."_ said Chellick over the radio.

**"Stay hidden and watch the skies, make sure no more assholes drop in behind us. I'll handle Vasir." **the nano soldier replied.

The Turian hesitated a moment then sighed, _"Alright. But you better stay alert Alex!"_

Alex had a moment to think as he rolled out of the way of a shockwave that struck the car he was behind. The attack sent the vehicle flipping through the air and over the railing that surrounded the parking lot.

He raised his rifle and fired a volley of rounds toward Vasir as she used a biotic charge to zip out of harms way in time before returning fire.

_**"Cloak Engaged."**_ Alex vanished and moved around the Asari in an attempt to flank.

Vasir looked around for the nano soldier and realized that he had cloaked himself again. "Not this time." she growled as she charged her biotics. Only this time the dark energy condensed within herself as her eyes continued to search for Alex.

The Post-Human had gotten in close before he went on the attack. However, Prophet chimed a moment later as he got within striking distance. _**"Danger: Dark Energy Levels Reaching Critical."**_ He barely had time to brace himself as the power was unleashed from Vasir like a small super nova.

The blast sent Alex hurling back and crashing into the windshield of a nearby skycar. His HUD flickered a bit from the burst of energy as he rolled himself off the car and back to his feet.

Vasir remained where she was, biotics still charged but her breathing was now labored from the amount of power she let loose.

Alex vaulted over another vehicle a few feet away and spun around to face it. _**"Maximum Power."**_ he kicked the car hard sending it sliding across the ground kicking up sparks as it headed toward the Asari.

Condensing dark energy to her hand, Vasir launched a blast into the large projectile that Alex had sent her way. Launching it into the air before it crashed back on to the ground upside down a few feet away.

Hunkered down behind cover, Alex began to plan his next move. _'This isn't working. If I don't take her down soon this place could be swarming with mercs.' _he thought to himself.

Scanning the parking lot, his HUD highlighting several things of interest as he tried to find something to give him an advantage.

Something caught his eye, _'Got it!'_ _**"Tactical Options Avaliable." **_

X

Vasir searched for the nano soldier among the wrecks around the parking lot, rifle in hand as she waited for him to show himself once more.

She'd never fought someone of this caliber before. In their first encounter she believed that she had the upper hand. When in actuality he was reading her like a book, looking for weaknesses that he could exploit to get the upper hand.

Which he had. He won their last fight and it left her both defeated and humiliated. One of the Council's best Spectres had been outwitted by a vigilante and left bound in top of a building like a criminal. She swore revenge on him that day, but she wasn't counting on him becoming a Spectre with the Human Commander.

Now she had a chance to redeem herself, and exact vengeance on the bastard once and for all. Her orders were to either capture or terminate him...the choice was easy for her to make.

Movement out of the corner of her eye had her shooting several rounds at shadows. A light _'twang'_ noise was heard and she moved back just enough for an arrow to fly past her. She re-aimed and fired in the direction the bolt came from only to hit nothing.

"Where are you?" she growled as another arrow flew past her, missing her shoulder by inches.

She kept shooting until the rifle ran empty. Another arrow flew past while she was doing this causing her to drop the thermal clip she was attempting to load into her weapon. "WHERE ARE YOU!" she shouted, throwing the rifle aside and summoning her biotics.

**"Right here."** said Alex appearing on top of the skycar in front of her, bow in hand as he looked down at her.

"Had enough of hiding you coward!" Vasir demanded as she prepared to attack.

The Post-Human shook his head, **"No...just setting things up."** he pressed the detonator switch on the handle of his bow.

The three arrows he had fired into the engines of the surrounding skycars all exploded in a cluster of fireballs. Vasir was completely unprepared for the explosions and was sent hurling back from the blast.

She hit the ground hard, coughing up a little blood as she glared at Alex as he approached her. The burning wrecks behind him lighting up the night. **"The offer still stands, Vasir. Either walk away, or things get ugly."** he said holstering his bow.

A chuckle came from her lips, "This isn't over." she fired a shockwave at him. The surprise attack sending him skidding back several steps as she charged him with a biotic enhanced fist.

In mid-swing, a black and sliver gauntlet grabbed the Asari's wrist before it could make contact. Vasir snarled and swung her other fist only for it to be snatched up in the nano soldier's other hand.

Dark purple met bright crimson as the ex-Spectre attempted to overpower her opponent. "Still trying to play the hero, huh?" she asked forcing more of her biotics into her muscles. "You think you'll make the galaxy a better place killing the Shadow Broker? You're more messed up than I thought. No ones ever been able to _find him_, let alone try to take him down. What stake could you possibly have in this doomed campaign?"

**"He made the biggest mistake anyone could make."** Alex said darkly as he kept her at bay with his own strength. **"He took someone from me and tried to sell her like she was an everyday item. I'm going to make him wish he never touched her by the time I'm through with him."**

Vasir cracked a vicious smile before letting out a bitter laugh. "So that's what this is about...your pissed because he took your precious Commander's remains and tried to sell her to the Collectors. Ain't that sweet of you."

Alex gritted his teeth at the condescending tone in her voice. **"Shut up."** he hissed.

"Were you two close? Did she see the real you under all that hardware?" Vasir grinned. "Was she a good fuck?"

His hands began shaking as his vision began to tint red. **"SHUT UP!" **he shouted as he began to lose control of himself.

"I gotta know, what was it like to stand over her grave?" the Asari asked viciously. "What was it like knowing that the only person that would ever love you was just gone in the blink of an eye? That with all your strength, power and skill, you could do nothing to save her?"

Vasir laughed again, "What was it like to watch the great Commander Shepard DIE?"

Alex's foot shot up and connected with her midsection like a wrecking ball. Purple blood spraying from her mouth when several ribs were shattered on impact as she was sent crashing into the side of the skycar that had been behind her hard enough to leave an imprint in the metal.

The amount of pain wrecking through her left her breathless as a hand grabbed her by the throat like a vise grip and lifted her from the ground. Her head was smashed into the door of the skycar, shattering the window as darkness began to cloud her vision.

Lost in his rage, Alex lifted the barely conscious Asari up and slammed her down on the hood of the car before slamming his fist down into her chest. Shattering her remaining ribs and puncturing both lungs from the blow.

Vasir began choking on her own blood as the nano soldier lifted her up to eye level. For the first time in many years she felt true fear. The being before her wasn't a man, he wasn't anything she had ever faced before.

He was a monster in Human form.

Cocking his right fist back, his omni-tool flared to life as a two foot long blade of hard light unfolded from it. The arm rammed forward, the super heated blade stabbing into the dying Asari's stomach so far that it pierced through her body and shot out her back.

Alex gritted his teeth as he watched the last bit of life begin to drain from Vasir's eyes. **"Fuck. You. BITCH!"** he twisted the omni-blade with a sickening crunch as her spine was severed.

Everything went still after that. Sounds blurred into the back ground while Alex's breathing remained harsh as he glared into the now dead Asari's eyes. His rage slowly fading until all he felt was numbness fill his being.

Removing the omni-blade, he threw the body to the ground without care. Looking down at the scorched hole he had punched through her frame emotionless as the world around him was blocked out. After doing something so...vicious, one should feel hesitant, regretful, maybe even saddened in some way.

But the nano soldier felt nothing. No emotion. No thoughts. Absolutely nothing. And that alone should have scared anyone

He looked up after a little while and saw Chellick standing a few feet away. Mandibles and lower jaw slack, eyes wide with both hesitation and fear at what he saw his friend just do to the ex-Spectre. He had never seen Alex like that before, out of control, vicious, so full of rage that it would make a rampaging Krogan flinch.

They stared at each other for what felt like an eternity before Alex turned and began heading for their skycar which had only suffered a few dents and scratches. Chellick snapped out of his stupor and walked after him slowly, "Alex." he said loud enough for the Post-Human to hear.

Alex paused, but kept his back to the Turian as they stood a few meters apart. Chellick swallowed, "I think we should talk about what just happened." he said keeping himself focused.

The nano soldier remained still, **"About what exactly?"** he asked with no emotion.

The ex-detective bristled, "Oh, I don't know Alex. How about the fact that you just fucking gutted someone like a fish after beating them to a bloody pulp!"

**"She was an enemy. That's what happens to one that gets in the way of a mission."** he replied with the same monotone voice.

Chellick stomped up around his friend and glared up at him, "What the hell is going on with you? This is not the Alex Drake that I know! That everyone knows! The one that always considers life before killing. The one that would risk a mission to protect people. The one that could make a bad situation seem a little brighter. What the hell happened to _him_?"

Silence filled the air. Alex's expression beneath his helmet was that of stone as he spoke. **"We don't have time for this."** he said stepping around Chellick and heading for the car again.

The Turian grabbed his arm making him stop dead in his tracks. "Then make time! I've had enough fo you ducking and dodging the problem! And we all know what the problem is." he said looking into the man's visor pointedly. "Jane's death...you can't get over it. I understand that, Spirits, we all do. But you're letting it turn you into something you don't want to be! Your rage is getting out of control, how long before you turn on someone who is a friend and ally?"

Chellick gripped his friend's arm a little tighter. "Alex...you need to talk about this. You can't keep it all locked inside anymore. It's killing you. And the more you let it eat away at you, the more the man that she loved disappears. And I won't let that happen; none of us will."

Alex was silent, but he had yet to pull away from his friend's grip. Chellick took the moment to push onward. "If this Lazarus Project you told us about works, if Shepard can really be brought back from the dead. How would she feel if she saw you like this?"

That got a reaction. Alex spun around and faced the Turian, his height towering slightly over the alien as they leered at one another. **"I..."** Alex paused, his mind coming back into focus and everything catching up to him.

He looked at all the destruction before stopping at Vasir's corpse once more. **"Chellick...I..."** he put his hand over his visor and breathed out slowly. **"I don't know what's happening to me. I thought I had all this under control, but even the slightest mention of her death sets me off like a nuke."**

Chellick patted his back, "I can answer that man. But first we should be getting out of here. Cops are on their way because of all the fighting."

Alex nodded and they piled into the skycar before taking off into the air. Leaving the battle torn parking lot and building behind them.

X

Weaving through traffic, Chellick began to explain. "During the last year, Reena and I have observed your behavior and comparing it to how you acted before the _Normandy_ went down. We watched it mellow out and escalate at various points and made sure to mark down what set you off. From there we forged a fake name and sent the information to Admiral Hackett to pass off to a military psychologist."

"It took the doctor almost two weeks to go through all the notes we sent before he came up with a conclusion." said the Turian.

Alex leaned back in his seat, helmet in his lap, a little stunned at what he was hearing, "You guys have been watching me all this time?"

"We were worried. Still are considering what the psychologist said." replied Chellick.

"And what did he say?" asked the nano soldier.

The Turian sighed, "Your suffering from severe PTSD and Survivor's Guilt. Not surprising considering what happened when the _Normandy_ was attacked. If you combine this with what happened to you before coming to this universe...I guess you can put it all together from there."

"This explains your nightmares, lack of sleep, and the triggering of your violent episodes. It all leads back to mental and emotional trauma." said Chellick.

Alex rubbed hid eyes slowly, "So I'm going crazy with what's happened? Great..." he muttered.

Chellick chuckled, "You were always crazy Alex." he turned serious, "But your mind can't take all this pressure. You're starting to lose sight of who you are. And keeping it all to yourself is only making it worse. You need to start talking to someone about this; whether it's me, Reena, Zen, as long as it's somebody you can trust. Hell, destroy the whole damn gym back at the outpost if it let's out that bottled up aggression as long as it helps in the long run."

His friend's words hit several cords. Alex had felt himself slipping farther and farther away. He had thought it was just his imagination, but now he knew that things weren't as okay as he thought they were. "Thanks, Chellick. I'll...I'll look into ways on how to manage this." he said finally.

"And we'll help too." said the Turian. "You just have to start letting us in more often. Your not as powerful on the inside as you are outside."

The sound of Alex's omni-tool chiming drew their attention. Alex activated the device as a screen appeared with Liara's face displayed with worry. "Alex? Thank the Goddess. Where are you? I overheard that there was a firefight close to where my apartment is."

"The Broker's goons stormed the place after we picked up the coordinates you left behind. Don't worry, we dealt with them." explained Alex. "But I don't think your hiding place will be safe for much longer. Can you get to the docking bay and into our ship without raising suspicion?"

"I might be able to. With the Shadow Broker's forces now looking for us he will do whatever it takes to bring us down." said Liara.

The Post-Human nodded, "My thoughts exactly. We need to regroup at the _Vecta _and get out of here before they catch up to us.

"I've already started to make my way there. With any luck I'll meet up with you as you arrive." said the young Asari as the line ended.

"You got a plan for this?" asked Chellick as he flew them through traffic and toward Nos Astra's spaceport.

Alex picked up his helmet and slipped it back on. **"The Shadow Broker's not going to hide anymore. It's time we brought him down and stop this before it gets any worse."**

X

**Alexander 'Maverick' Drake**

_**MSV Vecta**_** - CIC**

**October 6, 2184 - 17:09 hours**

They all had regrouped at the ship, after doubling back several times to avoid being followed. Alex, Chellick and Liara all got on to the ship and left Nos Astra. Taking off into the atmosphere and leaving Illium behind them as they put themselves a good distance away from any possible pursuers.

Once on board, Alex punched in the coördinates to the Shadow Broker's base and giving Chellick a heading. In no time the _Vecta _shot through the nearest mass relay and began their journey. That was two days ago, since then Alex and Liara had been combing over the schematics for the Broker's main base that had been encrypted with the location. It had shocked Liara that he was so willing to leave such vital data in one place given his reputation.

But Alex had explained that the Broker must change the location and information on his base constantly, only allowing it into the hands of his most trusted agents. And that Cerberus had just gotten lucky with finding the current location of the data when he stopped them.

"Hagalaz...I never imagined that anyone being able to set up a base there given its hazard level." said Liara looking over the galaxy map at the highlighted location.

"It's the perfect place to hide out then." said Alex walking up next to her. "The oceans on the surface boil during the day, then snap freeze ten minutes after sundown. If his ship has the equipment for such conditions, and has it following the sunset, he could remain hidden from anyone's sensors." he explained.

Liara looked over the data that showed a map read out of the Broker's base. "He'll have the shuttle bay locked down. We'll have to land on the outside of the hull and look for a hatch." she said looking over possible entry points.

"The _Wraith_ can get us in with its stealth systems. But we can't stay exposed to the lightning storm for too long. The systems will be fried from the EMP output." said the nano soldier.

_"Alex, we're ten minutes out from Hagalaz. You guys better get ready."_ said Chellick over the intercom.

"We're heading to the cargo hold now. Keep the _Vecta _above orbit and avoid detection at all costs until we take this bastard down." said Alex as he and Liara both headed that way. "You have a plan for when we get inside?" he asked as they rode the elevator down to the lower deck.

"Hopefully Feron will be close. If he's still alive, finding him and freeing him should be our first priority." said the Asari.

Alex nodded, "Alright, but I have a feeling that the Shadow Broker won't just leave him to get away so easily. There's most likely either a trap for anyone who tries, or a way to keep him where he is without fear of his escape. Either way, we'll find out when we get inside."

Entering the the cargo bay, Zen and Reena stood by the _Wraith_ waiting for them. "We ready to kick some ass?" asked the old Krogan holstering his Claymore.

Alex smirked, "You ready to dust yourself off old man?"

Zen waved him off, "Just pay attention out there pyjak, you just might learn something." Reena shook her head and rolled her eyes behind her visor as they piled on to the black shuttle.

Chellick pulled the ship over the planet's atmosphere, opening the hanger doors and allowing the _Wraith _to fly out and head farther in. Reena piloted them through the electrical storm with the shuttle's stealth systems activated as a large ship came into view.

The vessel's wide back end absorbed the solar energy at its back while it stayed in between the the planet's 'day' and 'night' cycle to avoid the powerful storms surrounding it.

"The amount of EMP being generated by the storm is getting worse. I'll have to drop you guys off and get out of here fast before the systems get fried." said Reena as she pulled up over the large ship's hull.

Alex stood up, pulling his helmet on and drawing his Harrier. Liara slipped on a breathing mask and took out a Tempest SMG while Zen pulled on his own helmet and drew an Avenger.

The hatch opened and wind gust entered the troop compartment. The team of three leapt out, their magnetic boots sticking to the ship's hull while Reena pulled the shuttle away and flew off into the storm again.

"It's hard to pinpoint in this lightning, but I'm picking up signals from a communications array near the back of the ship." said Liara as they began to move across the uneven surface. "There's nothing below that maintenance equipment. We have to find an entrance near the back shielding."

"Think the bastard knows we're here?" asked Zen as they went down a ramp and headed along a walkway that ran the length of the ship.

**"This is the Shadow Broker we're talking about."** said Alex. **"If he doesn't know we're here by now, he will the moment we encounter anyone stationed here."**

A nearby hatch popped open and three drones hovered out into the open as they approached. "Maintenance drones!" shouted Liara as the synthetics came at them.

Alex raised his rifle and took out the drones quickly before they started moving again. **"Why the hell were they trying to attack us?"** he asked as two more came out of another hatch.

Liara shot them before answering. "They must think that we're debris from the storm!"

With everything cleared for the moment, the team went up another ramp and found themselves back on top of the ship. Lightning flashed around them from the storm, a couple of bolts striking various rods sticking out of the ship's framework.

"Careful! Those capacitors discharge built-up lightning!" Liara shouted over the howling wind.

Alex's motion tracker went off as four guards came out of a hatch on the other end of the walkway. **"Contact!"** he shouted aiming down sights. The four mercs hunkered themselves down around the capacitors while the trio took cover.

Peering over the low wall, the nano soldier scanned the area ahead and highlighted the capacitors on his HUD as they absorbed more lightning bolts. _**"Tactical Options Available."**_ said Prophet. Alex readjusted his aim and shot one of the power sources.

The moment the rounds tore through the capacitor all the energy contained within exploded outward in a bright flash of light. All four mercs were caught in the blast and were shocked with several giga-joules of power.

None of them stood a chance as they literally fried within their hard suits before falling over dead.

"We're clear, for the moment." said Liara as they moved up.

"How much cannon fodder do you think he has stationed here?" asked Zen as they followed along the only path open to them.

**"Doesn't matter. The more he throws at us the more empty this place will be when we're done."** replied Alex.

_**"Hostiles Detected."**_ two LOKI mechs came out of hidding and opened fire on the squad. Liara fired a singularity that caught the machines immediately and sent them hurdling over the side of the ship.

A third LOKI mech unfolded, but had it's head incased in Zen's large fist before being tossed over the side with the others.

Alex moved up the ramp the machines had been guarding just as another small group of the Shadow Broker's men began opening fire. _**"Maximum Armor."**_ the nano soldier shot the nearby capacitor and frying two of the mercs before shooting a third in the head with a controlled burst.

The last agent ducked down before Alex could take him out, but the Post-Human used the opportunity to charge forward. When the merc stood up to take a shot, a heavy boot connected against his faceplate sending him crashing into the wall and slumping to the ground unmoving.

When the squad regrouped, Alex had finished activating the rod controls. The large lightning rod next to them retracted back into the ship and revealing the next path where several more guards were waiting for them. _'This is going to take a while.'_ Alex thought drawing his Black Widow and blowing the head off the first merc he sighted.

X

The whole ship was on high alert, this was proven by the amount of resistance that the Broker had thrown at them. Every turn in the path lead to more agents laying in wait for them.

Alex kicked the last merc in the latest group to attack them, sending the poor bastard over the edge screaming at the top of his lungs as he fell into open air. He turned back to the door way leading into the ship just as Liara finished hacking it.

Inside, the entire back wall shuffled as dozens of panels came out carrying electrical discharge along its length. The team treaded through the room along the walkway that suspended them above a cluster of power converters that stored all the gathered energy.

"This ship is incredible. It must have taken decades to build in secret." said Liara in awe.

**"I guess we know what happened to the contractors once they were finished."** said the nano soldier grimly as they walked past the moving panels.

The young Asari looked around the room, soaking all the sights around her. "Navigating this storm is brutal. If the ship's engines stop for even a moment..." she let the thought hang in the air ominously.

**"At least we'd bring down the Shadow Broker with us." **said Alex.

"Going down in a blaze of glory huh? I like your style." said Zen chuckling.

The team stepped out of the large room and back on to the walkway. Making their way up a series of ramps back to the stop of the ship. _**"Hostiles Detected."**_ Alex shot the first converter that he saw and giving the waiting mercs a shock before they stormed forward.

Gunfire ripped through the air over the sound of the gusting wind as the mercs were taken down in a flurry of bullets and biotic attacks. An enemy Vanguard fired a volley of warp attacks in an attempt to slow the team down only for a sniper round to blow her head off her shoulders.

Zen slammed the butt of his shotgun into the head of a LOKI mech as they pushed forward through the resistance.

Alex fired up his omni-tool and hacked two more mechs that engaged them. _**"Connection Established."**_ the LOKIs shuttered a moment before doing an about face and shooting at a group of agents that joined the fight.

Everything blended into one continuous firefight. The Shadow Broker's forces threw everything they had at them as the team tore their way through them. Shutting down several panels and lighting rods along their way to clear a path to the only opening Liara could find that would lead them into the base.

When the last merc finally fell, the three of them treaded slowly across a scaffolding that kept them over the open air fo Hagalaz. **"Christ, this place is just one big deathtrap to anyone unlucky enough to patrol out here." **said Alex looking down over the edge.

"At least it has a nice view." commented Liara.

**"Yeah...I can just hear the vacation vouchers now. 'Why go to the majestic Citadel or even beautiful Terra Nova? Come visit the environmental hell that is Hagalaz. Complete with an evil information broker and a never ending supply of death squads'." **said the nano soldier sarcastically.

They reached the end of the walkway which lead them to the back end of the ship, and approached a large hatch door that had been sealed right. Liara jogged ahead and began scanning the hatch with her omni-tool.

"It's locked." she said activating a program on her device, "Hang on, I've got a bypass shunt program that should be able to crack it." The top half of her omni-tool stuck to the door and five larger red sections appeared along the outside forming a wide circle as the program started to run.

**"How long will it take?" **asked Alex as he and Zen scanned for more hostiles.

"I don't know. I've never tired to break into the Shadow Broker's base before." said Liara condescendingly. "Well...not this one anyway." she added as an after thought.

The Post-Human turned and approached the door as the program started running. **"Then let's give it a little juice."** he said bringing up his own omni-tool. **"Prophet, can you help Liara's shunt program get the door open?"** he asked scanning the display.

_**"Scanning...Connection Established"**_ said the AI as all five sections on the display started changing to green one after the other.

"We got company!" shouted Zen firing a blast from his Claymore and blowing the chest of a merc wide open.

The remaining panels turned green and the display winked out. _**"Door Locks Disengaged. Hostiles Detected."**_ said Prophet as more agents and several assault and rocket drones hovered in the air.

Alex spun around and shot out his omni-tool, all of the drones shook for a moment before they all started firing on the mercs. With the sudden change, the Shadow Broker's forces were thrown for a loop as they were attacked by their own equipment.

**"That should keep them busy. Get inside!" **The nano soldier called out as the door slid open.

Liara and Zen ran through the opening with Alex following. The hatch closed and relocked itself behind them, sealing them inside the ship and allowing them a moment to breathe.

Looking at the interior, Alex kept his rifle in hand knowing full well that it was far from over. Getting in was the easy part, it was what followed that would really test them within the next few moments.

The Shadow Broker was in here, and he was looking forward to putting the fucker down once and for all...

_**A/N: The confrontation with the Shadow Broker is next. Let's see how the powerful Yahg can match up against a Nano Soldier Update coming soon everyone!**_


	8. Brought to the Light

_**A/N: I'm BACK! And I bring with me the next chapter in this roller coaster ride of ass kicking! After much thought, I've decided to slow down mu update times by a good margin. Not that I don't wanna keep updating fast, it's just that I'm feeling the strain lately and I need to slow it down before I burn myself out completely. And none of us want that to happen.**_

_**Anyway, it's time to really get shit kicked up. And what better way than the anticipated confrontation with the Shadow Broker! (I own nothing)**_

The sound of half a dozen foot falls filled the corridors of the large ship. A squad of the Shadow Broker's agents ran down the halls toward the hatch that the intruders had entered through. They all took defensive positions and aimed their weapons down at the hatch door and searched for their targets.

But nothing was there.

"You sure they came through here?" asked one of the mercs looking down the sights of his assault rifle.

"The boss said they got in after decimating the guys outside." said the Salarian engineer bringing out an attack drone.

The sound of a bow string broke through the silence. One of the mercs shouted as an arrow pierced through the chest piece of his armor and he began convulsing as several volts of electricity shot through his body.

All of the remaining agents became on guard as a singularity was fired into their midst. The five mercs being pulled into the air by the gravity well. Several more arrows and loud shotgun blasts echoed through the corridor.

Bodies hit the floor lifeless as the air shimmered in front of them. Alex stood holding his bow, ejecting the clip and loading in one full of regular bolts while Liara and Zen came out of the shadowed corners nearby. "Well, that was easy." said the old Krogan loading in a new thermal clip.

"How many more do you think are waiting for us?" asked Liara as they started moving again.

**"We're going to find out."** said Alex putting his bow away and drawing his assault rifle.** "And when we're done, this place will be pretty damn empty."**

X

**Alexander 'Maverick' Drake**

**Shadow Broker's Base - Hagalaz**

**October 4, 2184 - 18:20 hours**

The team moved around the first corner in the corridor, Alex brought his rifle up and shot down a merc that was heading their way. Two more came up behind him who both fell to the same fate as their comrade.

Liara launched a throw attack and sent a couple more agents flying back against the wall behind them while Zen blew the head off of another that came around the next corner. "From the layout you showed me, we should be approaching the prison blocks." said Liara reloading her SMG.

Alex pressed his back to the wall next to a flight of stairs. His motion tracker picking up three hostiles on the next level. **"Sit tight a moment."** he said taking out one of his Paladins and his knife. _**"Cloak Engaged."**_

Now cloaked, the nano soldier treaded lightly up the steps and toward the open doorway leading into the observation room of the prison. An Engineer, a Vanguard and a heavy merc were waiting for the team to get close enough to ambush.

Getting in behind the three agents. Alex took his knife and slit the heavy's throat while his back was turned. The body hitting the floor caught the attention of the two other mercs, the Post-Human brought up his pistol and shot the Engineer in the head splattering his brains on the wall next to him. The Vanguard flared with dark energy and fired a warp in his direction.

_**"Maximum Armor."**_ the nano suit absorbed the attack draining a bit of energy before Alex unloaded his pistol into the Asari. Her barrier taking the shots until the clip ran empty. _**"Maximum Power."**_ He charged forward driving his fist into her stomach and doubling her over before driving his knife into her throat and ending her life quickly.

Two other guards standing by got up with assault rifles and fired on the nano soldier forcing him into cover. He pulled the slid back on the Paladin and ejected the spent thermal clip and slammed in a fresh one before spinning out of cover and putting a round through both agents before getting on his radio.

**"All clear."** he said as the others regrouped with him while he hacked the door the five agents were guarding. The door slid open revealing a line of reinforced windows overlooking a room where a unconcious Drell was strapped to a chair hooked up to a dozen monitors.

"Feron!" Liara shouted running up to the glass.

"Uhhh..." Feron groaned as he stirred a little. "Liara?" he asked cracking his black eyes open a little.

The Asari ran over to the nearby terminal and started going through it. "Hold on, we're getting you out of there!" she said trying to find a release switch.

Feron's eyes widened "NO!" Liara hit a button and the Drell became covered in electricity and cried out in agony.

"FERON!" Liara screamed as he slumped back in the chair weakly.

Alex stepped up next to the terminal with his omni-tool flared as he had Prophet scan through the programs. **"What was the broker trying to get out of you?" **he asked as the AI ran its scan.

"In-Information...anything he can used against-AARGH!" Feron shouted from another bout of electrocution.

Alex's omni-tool chimed, **"Prophet, what do got?"** he asked. _**"The Chairs System is Connected to the Shadow Broker's Main Network. Direct Interface is Required to Disconnect the System."**_ said Prophet.

Feron groaned, "You'd need to got to Central Operations...it's down the hall." he swallowed hard before looking at them. "You know that...the Shadow Broker is waiting for you...right?"

**"I'm counting on it."** Alex said grimly.

"We'll come back for you Feron, I promise." swore Liara.

The Drell chuckled, "I'll try not to go anywhere."

The team followed the path Feron pointed out for them, tearing through the remaining guards the Shadow Broker put in their way as they fought toward their destination.

"Outposts A through F are down! We need-" one last guard was cut down by Liara's SMG as they approached the locked door at the end of the corridor. Alex went to hack the lock when the panel turned from red to green and opening on its own.

The squad had their weapons ready as they traversed the small hallway leading to another door that opened on their approach. The room beyond was a massive office. four pillars stood around the room with a large array of monitors in the far corner.

At the end of the room sat a large desk under a dome on the ceiling that housed energy that was coursing through the ship. Behind the desk, sat a large creature that none of them had ever seen before.

The head had two large horns with several spikes lining its face. Eight black, soulless eyes leered at them from the shadows surrounding it above a upside-down Y shaped mouth full of sharp teeth.

Alex's eyes narrowed from behind his visor as he, Liara and Zen stood before the large desk. Weapons aimed at the creature as it leaned forward, large hands steepled together on the surface in front of it.

"Here for the Drell?" asked the Shadow Broker in a deep, grave voice. "Wreckless, even for you Maverick."

**"Oh yeah? Sending those death squads wasn't the definition of subtle either."** said the nano soldier.

"A necessary risk. Their lives were expendable, easy to replace. Much like the ones you have killed aboard this ship." said the creature.

"Caging Feron all this time was also a risk." Liara growled. "One that you will pay for dearly."

The Shadow Broker turned his head in her direction, "Dr. T'Soni. I had a feeling your interference would have been inevitable. Feron betrayed me when he handed you Shepard's body. The Drell is simply paying the price."

Alex clicked the safety off on his Paladin. **"Working with the Collectors was your first big mistake, asshole. The second was attempting to trade Jane to them like a piece of meat."** he said darkly.

"It was a mutually beneficial partnership." said the Shadow Broker with no emotion. "Your arrival is nothing more than an interruption, but a useful one. The Collectors also have a price on your head as well, along with many other factions across the Traverse."

**"Cerberus and Saren both learned the hard way how I am when it comes to my skills."** said the nano soldier. **"And the Collectors will soon enough, paybacks going to be a real bitch when I get my hands on them."**

"Your skills will not protect you from them forever." said the large alien. "No matter how strong you believe yourself to be. Everything has a weakness. And I believe yours met her end at the hands of the Collectors."

Alex's eyes narrowed behind his visor. **"You getting at something?"** he growled.

The Shadow Broker leaned on the desk, "Your technology surpasses anything ever conceived in the Traverse. Skills and prowess that has never been recorded by any faction under my surveillance. You're an enigma, one that was difficult to solve...but was discovered regardless."

Liara glanced at Alex before going back to the Broker as he spoke again. "I know your secrets...Alex Drake."

The squad froze. Alex felt like his heart was injected with ice, how the hell could he have figured it out? Where did he slip up? He sighed, somehow he knew that it was only a matter of time before someone outside figured it all out **"How did you figure it out?"** he asked evenly.

"You're not as subtle as you believe. Once you appeared on the Citadel fighting the Blue Suns I combed through the stations archives for any arrivals that seemed to stand out. From there it was a simple cross of elimination before I discovered your true identity." said the Shadow Broker. "And now...you are within my grasp."

"You have a lot of confidence for someone with no where left to hide." said Liara taking the attention off of her friend.

"You travel with interesting company T'Soni. Alex Drake, the Human super soldier known as Maverick that is a complete unknown and is worth more than most would expect. And Urdnot Zen, one of the most infamous figures to survive the Krogan Rebellions. Both having large bounties on their heads for what they have done in the past." drolled the creature.

"You're not putting a hand on anyone!" Liara shouted, gripping her weapon tighter.

"It's pointless to challenge me, Asari." said the Shadow Broker. "I know your every secret, while you fumble in the dark."

**"Is that right?" **said Alex catching their attention. **"Your a Yahg, a pre-spaceflight species that was quarantined to their homeworld for slaughtering the Council's first contact teams. They believed your species too violent and unstable to be given a place in the galactic community."**

The nano soldier looked around the room, **"Given the age of this place...I'd say that it was built long before your planet was discovered. Which means that you killed the old Shadow Broker and took over their position. And since your planet was quarantined, I'd say the old broker bought you off of some trophy hunter to use as trained muscle..."**

Alex smirked under his helmet, **"Or a pet to show off when it was convenient. I'm not an information broker like Liara, so tell me how am I doin so far?" **

The Yahg pressed his hands on to the desk and stood up to his full height. Alex stood his ground as Liara took a step back at the sheer size of the creature. Zen looked up with his lone eye narrowing as he readied to fight.

In the next moment, the Shadow Broker slammed a fist down splitting the desk in half. Grabbing one of the large chunks and hurling it at the team and forcing them to dive to the floor to avoid being crushed.

Alex helped Liara up after tackling her to the floor and saw Zen shaking his head after barely avoiding the debris hurled at them.

The Yahg let out a bellowing roar, reaching behind his back and pulling out a large, custom made Revenant machine gun and opening fire on the three before him.

Getting into cover, the team took their own weapons and fired back. Their rounds bouncing off of the Broker's powerful barriers as they emptied their thermal clips. "Any ideas?" asked Liara hurling a volley of warp attacks at the large alien.

The nano soldier scanned the room looking for anything to give them an edge. The room was bare of anything explosive, and they needed a way to bring his shields down fast. Taking out his bow, he loaded in a clip of electro-shock arrows. **"Take him down. No matter what."** he said to his friend drawing the string back with the newly loaded arrow.

Liara nodded seriously as they both got up and attacked. Alex launched two arrows in quick succession, the bolts striking the barrier around the Yahg and sending out bolts of electricity along his frame as the shield began to flicker. The Asari followed up with a barrage of various biotic attacks to further weaken the shields.

Under the combined assault of all three of them, the Broker's shields finally broke. But the Yahg didn't even seem to notice it as he sent a hail of gunfire in every direction and forcing the team into cover.

With the assault halted, the Yahg let out a loud roar that echoed through the entire room before charging toward Alex and Liara.

The nano soldier grabbed his Asari friend and threw them aside as the Shadow Broker crashed through their cover like a derailed freight train.

Rolling on to his back, Alex raised his bow and fired the last two electro-shock arrows. Piercing the Yahg's armor. The creature stood tall, the volts of electricity arching over his body as rounds fired from Zen and Liara stuck him in several places.

Staggering for a second under the assault, he knelt down as a massive fortification shield appeared around him. Liara fired several rounds, but they all bounced harmlessly off the heavy shielding. "The shields kinetically sensitive! Energy and projectiles are bouncing off!" she said frustrated.

Alex glared at the Yahg before putting his bow away and cracked his knuckles, **"Then lets fuck him up the hard way!"** He charged forward, fist cocked back as he closed the distance quickly. _**"Maximum Power."**_

The Shadow Broker's head snapped back as the Post-Human's fist slammed into his jaw. He followed up with a right cross that sent the Yahg back three steps before swinging his foot out in a wide roundhouse kick that sent two small teeth flying out of the large alien's mouth.

Spitting out a little blood, the Yahg saw Alex coming in for another attack. His omni-tool flared as a shield of hard-light sprang into existence. The nano soldier saw the change and slid to a stop before the shield smashed him across the head and sending him crashing to the floor.

Alex rolled to his feet, drawing both Paladins in the process and aiming them at the Broker with Liara and Zen coming up on either side with their weapons up.

The Shadow Broker growled at the team before bringing the shield to bare and holding up his large machine gun as he opened fire on them.

Scattering, the squad fired back trying to find a weakness around the hard-light shield. Ejecting both thermal clips from his pistols. Alex took out his Black Widow and sighted one of the Yahg's legs, pulling the trigger and causing the alien to drop to one knee from the force of the round.

The Post-Human chambered a new thermal clip and fired another shot hitting the Broker in the chest and taking out his shield one more and forcing him to bring up his fortification shield again. **"I'm going in!"** he shouted running forward, flipping the sniper rifle in his hand so that he was holding the barrel and swinging it like a baseball bat.

The rifle broke as it slammed against the Yahg's head and sending him reeling. Zen ran out of cover bellowing a war cry as he crashed into the larger alien with everything he had and sending both crashing to the floor.

Getting to his feet, the Shadow Broker brought up his shield in time to stop Alex from striking him again. Pushing against the nano soldier as the two fought against one another in a match of sheer strength.

_**"Maximum Power."**_ Alex pushed harder. Pushing his larger opponent back a few inches as the suit enhanced his strength further. The Broker suddenly shifted his feet and spun to the right. Alex lost his balance for a moment, but it was all the time the Yahg needed to backhand him in the chest and sending him skidding across the floor.

Rolling back to his feet, Alex drew his Harrier and opened fire. Liara doing the same from the Yahg's back as she charged her rounds with her biotics.

Surrounded, the Shadow Broker roared as he slammed a button on his omni-tool. His fortification shield flared again, but this time the energy built up before dispersing in a blast that sent both the Post-Human and the Asari hurling back in different directions.

When the energy died down, a loud roar echoed through the room as Zen charged the Yahg. Blasting his Claymore with each step as he closed the gap between them.

The Shadow Broker let out a roar of his own and meeting the old Krogan's charge head on. Stopping Zen cold and knocking the heavy shotgun from his hands.

Zen grunted as he swung a fist that connected with the larger alien's face. "Your tough! But we Krogan have fought tougher!" he roared landing blow after blow. Keeping the Broker on the defensive.

Another punch landed and the Broker had, had enough. He blocked the next strike in one hand before bringing the other down hard on the Warlord's head plate. Trying to shake off the disorientation, Zen swung another punch only for it to be blocked and followed up by a heavy blow to the face that snapped his head to the side.

The Yahg grabbed Zen by the throat in both hands and lifted him off the floor. "Your race will always be lower than others. A useless blight that can no longer produce offspring. You are pathetic." he growled into the Krogan's face.

The old Krogan reared back and head butted the Shadow Broker and making him recoil. "You can kill me, but I won't be the only one going to hell today." Zen said grinning.

"Your request, is acceptable." The Yahg growled as a loud crunch filled the semi-silent room. Zen's head snapped at an ackward angle in the Broker's grasp, his lone eye rolling into the back of his head as the life quickly left him.

Alex had gotten to his feet in time to see what had happened. His chest clenching painfully at the sight of his friend's lifeless form hanging limply in the air. **"ZEN!"** he roared. Liara gasped in horror as the Shadow Broker tossed the dead Warlord aside like he was garbage.

"He was weak, his death inevitable. Much like Shepard's, and now your own." said the Yahg turning to the two remaining squadmates picking up his dropped machine gun and hefting his shield.

Fists clenching tightly, Alex felt rage and fury build up in him. One of his closest friends was now dead...the bastard had just made his last, and fatal, mistake.

Unknown to him, green electricity began to travel up his form from under the nano suit's weave. _**"Energy Surge Detected. Energy Levels Reaching Maximum."**_ chimed Prophet.

Looking through the brightly green lit HUD, Alex pulled out his bow and slammed in a clip before charging across the room. The Shadow Broker raised his machine gun and fired on the speeding nano soldier as he tried to land a hit.

_**"Maximum Armor."**_ whatever rounds landed bounced off of the suit as the user raised his bow and fired three arrows one after the other.

The Yahg raised his shield to deflect, but he didn't expect all three arrows to explode on contact and causing his hard-light shield to shatter and sending him back on his heels. Alex ejected the clip and slammed in a new one as he fired a volley of regular arrows, one of which burrowed into one of the Shadow Broker's eyes causing him to bellow in rage and agony.

When the Post-Human reached striking distance, the Broker swung his weapon like a club. But Alex was quicker, slidding across the floor on his back as the custom Revenant missed his head by and inch, firing another arrow and hitting another one of the Yahg's eyes.

Roaring in pain, the large alien held his face as blood streamed from his punctured eyes giving Alex an opening. _**"Maximum Power."**_ Tossing his bow aside, he got back to his feet and drove his fist hard into the Broker's chest, feeling something crack from the srike and causing the Yahg to double over.

Grabbing the two large horns on the top of his head, Alex drove his right knee hard into the Shadow Broker's face. Shattering bone and sending blood and teeth flying as he head butted the large alien and sending him reeling back even farther.

The nano soldier leapt back and pulled an HE-arrow clip from his pack. Ripping it open and taking out the arrows before leaping into the air. He drove his fist into the Broker's already damaged face, the force and the enhanced strength from the punch knocking the Yahg to the floor as Alex lept on to his chest.

**"This, is for JANE!" **he shouted driving one of the arrows into one of the six remaining black eyes. **"This, is for ZEN!"** he did the same to another eye. The Shadow Broker was nearly shreeking in agony as the Post-Human took the last arrow. **"And this...this is for all the other innocent people you've killed!" **he drove the bolt home leaving the Yahg with only three eyes.

He leapt off, bringing up his omni-tool as the Shadow Broker attempted to get back to his feet. **"Game over, MOTHERFUCKER!"** he hit the switch displayed as all three arrows lit up.

The explosion ripped through the room. Liara, who was in shock seeing the fight unfold before her, threw up a barrier just as the concussion blast reached her. Alex remained standing as the dust slowly settled.

Where one of the most powerful people in the galaxy once stood, was nothing more than a bloody and scorched mess. The only thing remaining of the large alien that was recognizable was a leg that was laying off to the right.

Looking at the damage for a moment, Alex turned and walked slowly toward the body of his Krogan friend.

Zen laid in a heap where the Broker's desk once stood. Head bent oddly to the right and his lone green eye still rolled to the back of his head as he laid lifeless on the floor.

Alex knelt by the old Warlord, reaching a hand out and closing the lone eye slowly. **"I'm sorry, Zen."** he said bowing his head in respect for the fallen Krogan. Liara approached from behind him, eyes downcast as she watched the scene before her.

"I'm so sorry Alex..." was all she could say, resting a hand on her friend's back as he silently mourned his fallen comrade.

X

In the prison blocks of the ship. Feron looked around as the lights flickered on and off before going dark.

When they came back on, the chair that held the Drell captive was empty.

X

Back in the office, Alex and Liara looked around for a few moments trying to get the lay out of the office and all its contents.

The wall of terminals on the right flared to life as a voice came through on one of the screens. _"Shadow Broker, this is Operative Murat. We had a momentary connection failure. Can you confirm status?" _

They walked over ot a large terminal that had a wall of holo-screens just as another screen became active,_ 'Operative Shora requesting update. Are we still online?' _

Then another, _'Shadow Broker, I've lost our feed. We are online and awaiting instructions.' _

Alex looked at all the screens as the lit up one by one. Multiple agents calling in to check on their boss that was no longer in the world of the living. He brought up his omni-tool as he walked up to the terminals, a small holo-mic appearing before him as he took a deep breath.

**"This is the Shadow Broker."** he said, his voice sounding just like the dead Shadow Broker's. **"The situation is under control. We experienced a power fluctuation while upgrading hardware. It disrupted communications momentarily."**

Feron burst into the room, pistol ready as he looked at everything before him while Alex continued speaking.

**"However, we are now back online. Resume standard procedures. I want a status report on all operations within the next solar day. Shadow Broker, out"** all of the lines went down and the nano soldier took a step back from the console.

"Goddess of oceans...you did it. You really did it." said Feron in shock.

Liara looked at Alex in equal shock, "With everyone who has ever seen the Shadow Broker dead..." she trailed off as it sank in for all of them. "...you're...the new Shadow Broker, Alex." she said awe.

The Post-Human looked at the wall of terminals before him. His thoughts a maelstrom despite his calm demeanor. Things had changed in a way that would definitely prove to be in their favor for the future. But he had not seen this coming at all.

_'This...is unexpected...'_ he thought to himself.

_**A/N: I just had to add a few twists in this chapter no one saw coming. How will everything change with Alex as the Shadow Broker instead of Liara? How will Zen's death affect the tea? But most of all, how will things play out from here? Guess you'll have to keep tuning in to find out huh?**_

_**Update coming soon, so get ready for the hits to just keep coming.**_


	9. Warlord's Last Request

_**A/N: Hay guys. Sorry for the long wait for the update. I've been wracking my brain hard around how to put this fic in a good direction like it's predecessor while keeping it just as entertaining. (That, and a software malfunction wiped out all of the blueprints I had for the chapters I had been planning to write set be back by a long while in addition to writer's block.) So I took some time off and started working on a new story that I'd been wanting to try for a while now. That being said, updates are going to be slow while I try to plan things out for this story.**_

_**But I want everyone to know that I am NOT giving up on this series. I am NOT putting it up for adoption or abandoning it. And I WILL finish it no matter what it takes.**_

_**This chapter is a little smaller than what I had originally planned given the software malfunction. But that doesn't take away the impact it'll probably have like the ones before it. (I still don't own it, but that won't stop me from writing!" **_

**Alexander 'Maverick' Drake**

**Shadow Broker's Base - Hagalaz**

**October 7, 2184 - 11:37 hours**

Three days had passed since the fall of the Shadow Broker. And even though he had been surprised that the title of new Shadow Broker had fallen into his lap so suddently, Alex had used his new position to examine all the important data that passed through the system.

The data network stretched all across the traverse and was attached to several governments for every species across every system. It literally spider webbed all across the galaxy and feeding information back to the central hub.

After those few days, even with Prophet's help, the nano soldier barely scratched 8% of all the data in the system. Liara and Feron had thrown in their assistance to help sort through everything as he continued to shuffle through various files that he deemed important.

Chellick and Reena had come into the base after the fight and were shocked to hear that Alex had assumed control of the Shadow Broker's organization. And saddened to hear that Zen had died helping to take the old Broker down.

The moved the old Krogan's body to the _Vecta's_ cargo hold in a casket with the promise that he would receive a proper burial for a warrior of his status.

It had been a tense couple of days, and Alex was hoping that all of their patience would pay off in the end.

X

Liara walked through the halls of the ship. Past several guards that would have been shooting at her days prior. But since Alex had assumed control of the organization he had used his new influence to mark the Asari and all those close to him as friendlies and that they would be treated with respect as superiors.

Approaching the door to the office, Liara stepped inside after the lock system scanned her form and opened for her. Inside, the room that had been a battlefield three days ago was almost completely repaired and was scheduled for re-organization in about a week.

Walking through the room, she found the new 'Shadow Broker' sitting at the console under the wall of terminals as he continued to sifter through the data before him.

"Alex, how are things?" she asked standing at his side.

The Post-Human sighed, dragging a hand over his face as he leaned back in his chair. "Tiring. Decided to leave most of the information for another time and focus one a few things that are more pressing." he waved his hand and a screen appeared with data scrolling across it.

Liara looked over the data and her eyes widened. "Information on the Collectors." she said looking over detailed plans on the creatures'. "The old Shadow Broker must have stored everything of value incase they betrayed him."

Alex nodded, "And it helps. All of this explains how they're able to freeze entire colonies." he brought up another display that showed an insect the size of an average person's hand with a long stinger on the end of its tail. "They call them Seekers. Their venom works like a neuro-toxin combined with dark energy. It has the ability to completely freeze someone where they stand by shutting down their nervous system but leaving their cognitive abilities intact." He explained.

"An entire swarm could incapacitate a whole settlement in a matter of minutes if all the colonists are out in the open. After that it's just a matter of gathering the frozen people and getting them aboard their vessel." said Liara following his explanation. "Does it say why they're targeting Humans?"

"No, but whatever it is it's not good. And if they're working for the Reapers then that makes this even more dire than we believe." said the nano soldier. "But with this, I might be able to compile enough data to get the Alliance and the Council involved."

Liara looked to him in shock, "Aren't they still searching for you? How will you get the data to them without it leading back to you?"

"I have a few people still on my side within both. They can be trusted, and they'll make sure that it gets to the right people and put it to good use." said Alex filing all the data away and copying it into an OSD.

"Is there anything about the Reapers in the system?" asked the Asari.

Alex typed a few keys and multiple screens appeared, "The Broker knew about the Reapers long before anyone else did. That's why he had been willing to help where he could when we all went after Saren. And why he attempted to give Jane over to the Collectors. He was trying to buy himself salvation from them, but in the end I think they would have done him in just like they were planning with Saren when he was no longer useful."

Liara looked at her friend and saw the dark circles under his eyes. It wasn't hard to believe that he hadn't slept in the last few days as he observed everything before him. everything in this place was a lot to take in, but he was working himself down way too quickly.

"You need rest Alex. The data isn't going anywhere, and Feron and I can keep tabs if anything important comes up." she said resting a hand on his shoulder.

The Post-Human blew out a breath and rubbed his eyes with the heels of his hands. "This isn't me, Liara. Even though I use accurate data when in the field, I'm not meant to hide behind a wall of information instead of being on the front lines."

Liara nodded in understanding, "I must admit, all of this seems like a lot for just one person to uphold."

Alex smiled a little, "That's why I've decided to give it to you."

The room became very still. The Asari's mouth gaped open slightly. "I...I'm sorry?" she asked dumbly.

"I'm not an information broker, Liara. I'm a soldier. And I know that you could do so much more with the Shadow Broker's network than I ever could." the nano soldier stood up slowly and rested his hands on her shoulders, "There's no one else I can trust more in the galaxy with all of this."

Liara saw nothing but honesty in his eyes and sighed, "Are you sure? To give up something like this...it's hard to grasp."

"I'm sure. I have faith in you to do what's right with all of this." Alex picked his helmet off of the console and slipped it on. **"I know that all of this will help us make sure that we're ready for the Reapers. And I know that you're the right person for the job."**

"And what will you do?" asked the Asari.

**"I still have a lot of work to do. But I'll always be around to lend a hand should you need it."** he said honestly.

Liara sighed, "Alright, I accept. But under the stipulation that we share the network. You may say your just a soldier, but I've seen the way you can harness hard data and refine it for proper use. And the two of us will be better at handling all of this than just one."

Alex nodded, **"Deal."** he turned and headed for the exit but stopped at the door and looked back at her, **"Good luck...Shadow Broker."** with that he left the office leaving Liara to her thoughts.

Shaking her head, she sat at the console and began to look through the data herself. It was then that she found a file that was still open. Curious, she looked into it and was shocked at what she found.

Contained in the file was detailed reports from the agents that were stationed within Cerberus' ranks. But these reports were from a specific location and were all about the progress of Project Lazarus.

"He was keeping tabs on Shepard's revival as well." she said to herself with a smile. "If you only knew how much he truly misses you, Jane. Come back to us soon." she whispered to the silent room.

X

**Alexander 'Maverick' Drake**

_**MSV Vecta**_** - Bridge**

**October 7, 2184 - 15:32 hours**

Alex, Reena and Chellick all gathered by a lone terminal on the _Vecta's_ bridge. An OSD in Reena's hand as they all stood silently. With a sigh, the Quarian inserted the disc into the terminal.

A moment later, the screen lit up as a vid began playing. Zen's face appearing in the center of the screen as he began speaking. _"Hay pyjaks, if you're listening to this than that means someone finally managed to take me down." _said the Warlord.

_"I made this vid just incase this happened, I wanted to clear the air about a few things. First of all, I don't want crying or any of that sad bullshit. I want you three to remember the old Krogan that wasn't afraid to get up and crush someone's skull in."_

Zen took a deep breath, _"Reena," _the Quarian straightened up. _"Ever since you started working at my shop I saw something in you I rarely saw in others. You were this tiny thing that was looking to prove yourself to your people no matter what it took. You had guts, I always admired that about you kid." _

Reena's shoulders began shaking as she began to sob. Chellick put an arm around her to offer comfort as their dead friend continued speaking. _"You have a good head on your shoulders, Reena. And you found a good mate in Chellick. And if that Turian is watching this with you, you better be taking care of her. Or I'll stomp your ass into the ground when we meet on the other side some day."_

The Turian nodded seriously even though he didn't have to asZen continued.

_"Drake." _Alex looked serious. "_If there was ever a more capable warrior of any race deserving of my respect you'd fit the bill. You possess honor that I thought lost among others, and Wrex told me about your vow to help the Krogan find a cure for the genophage. I know that you will stick to your word, I just wish I would be there to see my people free of our curse."_

_"I'm leaving the stocks and remaining parts of my business to all of you to do with what you can. I hope it's enough to make sure that you all live as long as possible."_

The old Krogan paused as he gathered his thoughts, _"After what I've been through in this hell most people would call a galaxy, I'm proud to have known you three. It kept this old bastard from blowing his brains out from boredom. And that's why I'm asking for one last request."_

_"On Tuchanka, my bondmate Zeela is buried in a crypt I built myself after her death. Some friends of mine have kept it in good condition until this day came. My request is to be buried next to her. She was the only one to truely give me happiness in the galaxy, and I want to be with her even in death."_ the emotion in Zen's voice was shocking to the trio. But they understood better than anyone of how important this must have been for him to admit this.

Chuckling, the Warlord spoke one last time. _"Good luck out there. And if you find yourselves in the afterlife with me, the first round at the bar's on me."_ the vid ended leaving a loaded silence on the bridge.

"Chellick." said Alex breaking the silence. "Set a course for Tuchanka. We have a request to fulfill."

The Turian nodded before nuzzling Reena's neck and heading to the cockpit. Reena looked at Alex as he bowed his head. "You okay?" she asked touching his arm.

"Zen went down fighting like the honorable Krogan we all knew him to be." he said staring at the wall. "I just hope his death was worth it."

Reena tilted her head, "Zen always did want to go out in a blaze of glory. There's nothing better than going out while taking down the Shadow Broker. He wouldn't have wanted it any other way."

Alex smiled, "Yeah, you're right. The old bastard will definitely be remembered for this." he looked at his long time friend and recalled what Chellick had told him before they went after the Broker. "You know, Chellick told me you guys have been keeping me under psych watch for the last year."

The Quarian sighed, "You didn't really give us much choice Alex. You were getting worse. And we didn't want to see you fade away like that-."

"Reena," the nano soldier said cutting her off. "Thank you. And you're both right, if I don't start talking about things and trying to work through them I'll lose my mind."

Spinning one of the chairs on the bridge around, Reena sat down and faced Alex. "We got time before we reach Tuchanka. So talk, I'm all ears." she said being serious.

X

It was a three day journey to the Krogan homeworld, and the three had spent that time talking amongst themselves. Reena and Chellick taking turns letting Alex get everything off his chest about what was going on with him and letting the couple know just how deep the damage really went.

But they had spent most of that time remembering Zen, and everything they all did together and how much the Warlord had effected their lives.

In no time, the _Vecta_ now sat a safe distance from Tuchanka. Since Turians were not really welcome on the surface with their past with the Krogan, Alex said he'd take Zen's body to the surface with the _Wraith_. After holding a small ceremony themselves, the casket was loaded on to the shuttle before Alex flew out of the ship's cargo hold and toward the planet.

X

Tuchanka was anything but a 'beautiful' planet. After centuries of war amongst the various clans and the Krogan rebellions had left the surface a bombed out shell of its former glory. But much like the Krogan themselves, Tuchanka had endured, and was still the home for the one of the strongest races in the Traverse.

It took Alex a few minutes to locate the coördinates of Clan Urdnot's camp. Prophet locked on to the location and he flew down to the battle-scarred surface. Landing the _Wraith_ on a flat surface just outside the encampment.

A squad of five Krogan greeted him with weapons drawn as he stepped out of the shuttle. "What business do you have here Human?" asked the leader with a growl.

**"Business with the Urdnot's Clan Leader. I've come to give one of your own a proper burial."** said Alex not backing down.

"And what unlucky bastard died this time?" asked the squad leader.

**"Urdnot Zen. And he was a friend and ally to me, so I suggest you hold that tongue before I cut it out."** said Alex getting into the Krogan's face. He knew full well that Tuchanka had different rules than the rest of the galaxy. If you showed any kind of weakness the inhabitants would chew you up and spit you out.

That being said, Alex was going to make damn sure they knew who they were dealing with.

The lead Krogan narrowed his eyes, "You think you can make threats like that _Human_?"

_**"Maximum Power."**_Without a word, the Post-Human smashed his head into the Krogan's head plate with enough force to make him stagger into the others behind him. The squad all raised their weapons as Alex drew his Paladins as a crowd of spectator began to form around them all.

"ENOUGH!" roared an all too familiar voice. The gathered Krogan parted as Wrex stomped his way toward the front. His red slitted eyes immediately locked on to Alex causing a wide grin to stretch across his scarred face. "Heh Alex!" he bellowed stepping forward and shaking the nano soldier's hand and clapping him hard on the shoulder. "My friend, what brings you to this mud ball excuse of a world?"

**"Long time no see Wrex."** said Alex. **"I'm here to bury a friend."** he admitted casting a glance back at his shuttle.

Wrex followed his line of sight, "Zen finally passed? Did the crazy old bastard go out the way he always wanted?" he asked.

**"You have no idea big guy."** replied the Post-Human. **"His last request was to be buried with his bondmate here on Tuchanka. And you know how I honor my word."** he said hinting to what he vowed to the Warlord back on Virmire.

"I know the burial site he was speaking of. I'll have some of my scouts help you move him to the site." Wrex turned to the squad of Krogan and sneered. "What right did you have to openly insult a friend and comrade of your Clan Chief!" he demanded.

The squad leader's eyes widened, "S-Sir, this Human-"

Wrex smashed his head plate into the other Krogan's and knocked him flat on his ass, "This Human is a honorary member of Clan Urdnot!" he shouted out to the gathered warriors. "He swore his alliance to our clan by promising to aid in the end of the genophage. He has earned my respect as well as yours. Anyone who raises a hand to him will not only feel his wrath, but my own as well."

"What makes this Human so special?" asked one of the Krogan from the crowd.

"I watched this Human take down a Thresher Maw alone using wit and strength. If any of you think you have the balls to face him, I don't think he would mind knocking you whelps down several pegs." said Wrex grinning in Alex's direction.

The nano soldier cracked his knuckles and tilted his head to the side to emphasize the Warlord's words making a few of the younger Krogan want to prove themselves against the one that earned the respect of their Clan Chief.

**"That'll have to wait. I have a friend and comrade that needs burying."** said Alex a she went to the shuttle and brought the hovering casket out of the troop compartment. Wrex nodded as he motioned for two of his guards to help with the casket as they began moving through the camp.

Dozens of Krogan all looked their way as the small group moved through the settlement. Along the way, Alex rested his hand on the metal coffin that held his good friend. "Welcome home, Zen." he said as they continued toward the crypt that had been built by the old Krogan long ago.

_**A/N: It makes you wonder what you would do for a friend if they gave you their last wish don't it? My updates may have been slown down due to writer's block and being a little burned out trying to come up with new ideas, but I intend on seeing this all through to the end. So don't you guys go giving up on me just yet. I'm not down and out yet.**_


	10. It's Time

**_A/N: Hay guys...I know a lot of you are pissed off that I haven't been updating. And I'm going to tell you that it wasn't from writer's block._**

**_Me and a buddy were driving around when we got T-boned by some asshole who blew through a stop sign. I woke up in the hospital two days later with a dislocated shoulder and my right leg broken in four places, my buddy was lucky to get away with a minor concussion. The guy who hit us was going 50 and was talking on his cell when the accident happened. Fucker didn't get a scratch on him and tried to lie his way out of it. _**

**_We're taking him to court in a couple of weeks and making sure he pays out the asshole for what happened to us._**

**_Anyway, I've been in the hospital recovering all this time and I haven't had access to my laptop the whole time. But I'm back now, and since I can't do much of anything with my leg still in a cast and my upper arm wrapped up I can get back to doing what I do best. _**

**_This chapter is one of my shortest ever, but I figured that it was time to get the ball rolling and into where the real fighting and story lies. (And I'm a bit fuzzy with my pain meds running through my system so you'll have to bear with me here.) You guys have waited long enough, so let's get this going again!_**

**_(Still own nothing)_**

_I still remember everything from around that time very clearly. Saying goodbye to a friend is never easy, and I owe Zen a lot more than anyone would think I did. He was a good man and a powerful warrior. I can honestly say that having him at my side when we fought the Shadow Broker was both an honor and a privilege._

_After burying Zen next to his bondmate in the crypt he mentioned in the vid, I spent about a day on Tuchanka. Catching up with Wrex and hanging around the Urdnot camp. Since he had named me an honorary member of his clan many Krogan had come around to see the lone Human that had earned the respect of their Clan Chief._

_Needless to say, I made an impression, or several during my stay. _

_Being challenged in hand to hand combat with half a dozen Krogan who thought I was nothing special certainly helped me work out a lot of aggression that had been built up. Hell, Wrex laughed his ass off when I knocked his jerk-off of a brother Wreav through a wall. _

_After making new friends, I decided to let Wrex in on the secret that Liara and I were the new Shadow Brokers just in case he needed help getting the Krogan to fall in line. _

_The old Krogan was a bit shocked considering that the one that had hired him to kill Fist, and one of the most powerful beings in the galaxy was dead, and even more so that Liara and I had assumed control of on of the biggest intel networks ever devised. _

_When our business on the Krogan homeworld was done, I returned to the ship and me, Reena and Chellick all went back to what we did best. But things weren't really the same with Zen gone. And in the end we made do with what he had and endured, something all of us had been known for._

_A few months passed, I used the new information network we got from the dead Broker to gather as much intel as I could and discreetly sent it to the right parties around the Traverse. Liara had made the joke that we could start a war with a few key strokes...only to find out she wasn't really kidding._

_The Shadow Broker had his hand in damn near every organization, government, and military branches all across the galaxy. If knowledge was power...me and Liara were at the top of the goddamn food chain._

_I had even taken the data on the Collectors and sent it to Admiral Hackett. Everything from their weapons and physiology, to the neurotoxin contained in the Seeker venom. _

_Hackett wasted no time bringing everything to Alliance Command. Needless to say that they were in an uproar about how the Collectors were responsible for the colony disappearances and with the power that they had could just as easily cross from the Terminus Systems and do the same to planets in Council Space or even the Sol System. _

_Their techs and scientists were already hard at work combing over the data and making improvements to their armor to combat the Seeker venom so that ground forces would be immune should an attack arise. _

_Finding out that Biotics helped keep the bugs at bay had also been a plus, and was being looked into to ensure that strategies were made to combat the Collectors._

_Knowing full well that doing this might have serious backlash in the future, but much like my past decisions I couldn't find it in me to care. Too much has happened and fallen apart for me to dwell on what the future 'could' bring. I needed to be ready for the Reapers arrival, and to do that I needed to make sure everyone else was ready too._

_For almost a year I continued my crusade throughout the Terminus against Cerberus, mercs and other factions that were a threat. Liara sending my constant updates using the Shadow Broker mainframe to ensure that I knew where to hit and when for complete mission success. But every so often our agents would cross paths with Cerberus, making us both wonder what else the Illusive Man was up to. So we decided to keep tabs on him and his agents from time to time._

_While at the same time keeping track of the Collectors as more colonies fell silent. _

_The Alliance had started discreetly installing GARDIAN laser defense systems on various colony worlds inside Terminus space. They were met with a bit of hostility, but in the end they managed to get several systems up and running without too much trouble. _

_It was a productive year...despite several set backs along the way. I don't really know when I was able to figure out when things reached their apex in the timeline...but when I picked up a QEC from Liara regarding something I had been waiting for all this time, I couldn't help but think that everything was right on schedule._

X

**Alexander 'Maverick' Drake**

**Hidden Base - Planet Enos**

**September 31, 2185 - 12:01 hours**

Alex stood in the vid-comm room facing Liara's hologram form. The intel she had given him had left him anxious. "Are you sure?" he asked utterly serious.

"I didn't believe it either, Alex. But our spies within Cerberus have confirmed it." said the Asari keeping her gaze locked with his. "The Lazarus Project is complete...Jane's awake."

The news alone had sent his heart racing. After all this time, waiting and praying, the nano soldier felt so many things crashing into him all at once it was hard to describe...Jane...she was back and alive.

Shaking himself, Alex looked at his fellow Shadow Broker and got his head back into the game. "Do our spies know where she's going and what she's up to?" he asked keeping his face as straight as possible.

"From what I could gather, she is gathering a team together to go after the Collectors." said Liara. "Cerberus is providing her a ship, intel, and any resources that she will need to make sure that they are stopped."

"And we both know that she'd never trust those bastards even if they did bring her back from the dead." said the Post-Human as he started pacing. "We need to get her out from under their thumb. As long as she's with them, the Alliance and the Council will use it as a way to keep her at arm's length and won't take anything she brings to them seriously."

The Asari began to think to herself, "What about Councilor Anderson and Admiral Hackett? Despite everything that has happened they have always been on Jane's side as much as yours."

Alex shook his head, "It's not enough to convince everyone that she's still the same person as she was. And as shitty as it is for me to say...there's no guarantee that she is the same Jane Shepard that we all know. For that I'll have to see her myself and make that conclusion on my own." Mentally, he was kicking himself for even thinking such a thing. But with how things can change around him he had to keep every possibility in mind when he saw her.

Liara nodded slowly, "I admit, the Lazarus Project sounded farfetched. And even I have doubts of how effective it was. Even though the reports that I have gotten say that she looks, acts and sounds like herself. But Cerberus is devious, and the Illusive Man knows how to hide things in plain sight."

"We can also be sure that he has her on 24/7 surveillance on the ship he has given her."

Stopping his pacing, Alex looked at his friend. "I need to find a way to get on that ship. Our information network is superior to Cerberus, and all the data we have on the Collectors would aid her and the team she's gathering in taking them down once and for all."

"Getting on to the new Normandy will be difficult. Considering that we don't know where the Illusive Man might send her next." said Liara.

"Where is she right now?" he asked hoping for a good opening.

Liara brought up a holo-screen next to her and scrolled through it for a moment. "A few of our agents on Omega have spotted her speaking with Aria. And from what we've gathered in recent months, she is most likely there to collect Archangel and Mordin Solus."

Alex grinned mentally, "Fate seems to be on my side for once." "I think I have an idea, it's risky considering everything I've done against Cerberus, but it seems to be the only way for me to get on to the Normandy and start laying the ground work."

"What is your plan after you get on board?" asked the Asari.

"If things go as well as I hope they will, we can get control of the ship completely on Jane's side and take Cerberus out of the equation. I'll have Prophet covertly data-mine the ships archives and gather anything that they might have that we do not." said the nano soldier. "And as for the crew...depending on who can be trusted, we can have a select group of our agents help run it for the duration of the mission."

Liara was silent as she thought over the plan, "It seems...effective. If you manage to get aboard."

Alex smirked, "Come on Liara. This is me you're talking to, when have I not been able to pull off the impossible."

"True...do I even want to know how you plan on getting aboard?" she asked with a raised eye ridge.

"That would spoil the surprise." said the Post-Human before turning serious, "I'll keep you posted along the way. And I'll contact you when I've made contact with Jane and her crew."

Liara nodded, "Good luck, Alex. And be careful. For all we know Cerberus will be expecting you to step on to the Normandy."

The call ended leaving Alex alone in the silent room. "Prophet, make sure that the Wraith is prepped. We're heading out." he said grabbing his suits helmet and heading toward the elevator. _**"Acknowledged." **_said the AI as he stepped on to the lift and began to ride it down to the shuttle bay.

The whole base was quiet considering that he was the only one there. Reena and Chellick had left for the Migrant Fleet four days ago. Reena had felt a little home sick lately and wanted to visit family and friends for a little while.

And Chellick, being the good fiance that he was, was more than happy to go with her leaving Alex to his own devices while they were gone.

When the elevator doors opened, Alex stepped out into the hanger and headed straight for the armory to begin gathering weapons and thermal clips. Placing his Harrier assault rifle and Black Widow on his back, his Paladins on either hip and strapping a bandolier of grenades around his chest, he looked ready to face a small army.

And with where he was heading it was a safe bet that he'd be needing everything he could get his hands on.

After filling his satchels with clips, medi-gel and anything else he would need. The Post-Human headed over to the black shuttle while slipping his helmet on, _**"Send a message to Chellick and Reena so that they know what's going on. And let them know that I'll contact them when we're in the clear."**_he said sitting in the pilot's seat and powering it up.

With the couple using the Vecta for their trip, that left the Wraith to help the nano soldier for what he had planned.

_**"Message away. Destination Required."**_ said Prophet.

Alex punched in the coördinates as the Wraith powered up. The hanger doors opened and the stealth shuttle flew out into the open air while the base locked down with his departure_. __**"Shuttle Systems Green. Estimated Time of Arrival: Five Days." **_

The Post-Human checked over the systems just to be sure everything was in order before leaning back in his seat. Even though he had faith that things would work out in the end, it didn't take away the realization of what was coming.

Gripping Jane's dogtags as he watched the stars pass him by on his trip out of the system and toward the mass relay, Alex thought about everything he had been through in the last two years.

He'd been preparing for this moment, everything he had done and planned lead to this point and he was going to do everything in his power to see it through to the end.

Prophet chimed as the shuttle approached the mass relay, _**"Relay Coming in Range. Coordinates locked. FTL Initiated." **_Alex took a deep breath, "Next stop...Horizon."

**_A/N: Like I said, a short chapter. But things are really going to get fired up in the next chapter and beyond. It wasn't how I wanted to get into the ME2 timeline, but I couldn't come up with any more compelling OC content that would lead up to it. So in typical Self-Insert/Original Character fashion I used a time skip to get things where I need them to be._**

**_I may be banged up and broken a bit...but I'm still alive folks! This fire ain't goin out any time soon and will be that way for a good long time!_**


	11. Priority Horizon

_**A/N: Back once again, and with another chapter to boot! Like I said in my last post, being bed ridden gives me nothing but time and I can't think of anything better to do during my recovery. **_

_**I first wanted so say thanks for all the support guys, it warms my heart knowing that you guys care so much. And a couple of you are right, I've had a pretty rough string of luck in the last few months. Being electrocuted, now with my leg and shoulder messed up, it is pretty unlucky. But I've also been told by quite a few people that I'm the luckiest SOB alive. **_

_**To go through all that and still be kicking? Someone upstairs must love me since I'm still here. And I'm never one to take things for granted when they've been given to me. **_

_**But enough about me, let's get this next chapter to the people! (I own nothing)**_

**Alexander 'Maverick' Drake**

**Shadow Sea Nebula - Planet Horizon (Orbit)**

**October 4, 2185 - 14:23 hours**

"Try again, Prophet." Alex said as his hands flew across the console in front of him.

_**"Connection Cannot be Established. Unknown Frequency is Disrupting Planet Side Communications."**_ said the AI.

The Post-Human pressed a few keys and brought up the frequency in question. "Can you trace it? Where is it originating from?" he asked as he looked over the odd radio wave that was throwing off all communication in the nebula.

He knew it had to be the Collectors preparing to attack the colony. From the data he and Liara had gathered they always start their assault by cutting settlements off from the rest of the sector before making landfall and sending out their Seeker swarms.

_**"Frequency Originating from the Edge of the Shadow Sea Nebula." **_

_**"IFF Signal Matches that of Collector Vessel as listed in Shadow Broker Archives."**_

_**"Possibility of Enemy Attack on Colony World Horizon: High"**_

_**"ETA of Enemy Force: 40 Minutes"**_

Alex punched it, the _Wraith_'s thrusters kicked to maximum and shot toward the Human colony world as fast as it could go. Five days traveling through the Traverse to get this far for one purpose and he was going to make damn sure that the Collectors failed.

The green colored world came into view and reflected off of his crimson visor as he drew closer and closer. Time seeming to slipping by faster as the ship closed in.

X

Meanwhile on the planet, the colonists went about their business as usual. Communications had gone out two hours ago and were attempting to make repairs, but they didn't seem worried in the slightest as they continued their daily routines.

Among the people, Gunnery Chief Ashley Williams walked side by side with another woman as they conversed about the situation with the GARDIAN turrets that had been set up around the colony.

"Still can't calibrate the targeting matrix?" asked Lilith as they continued on their way.

Ashley shook her head, "Those defense towers are useless if we don't figure it out." she said stepping around another colonist."

"Sorry, Chief. Getting our comm systems back online takes priority." said the other woman.

The Chief stopped and chuckled humorlessly. "Yeah. Okay. Surprised people haven't tried to blame that one on me too." she said rubbing her forehead.

Lilith looked at her sadly, "People out here don't trust the Alliance. It's nothing personal." she said honestly.

Before anything else could be said, the low hum of a small ships engines could be heard. Looking up, the two women and a few colonists saw a black Kodiac shuttle coming down from the atmosphere and heading straight toward the colony.

"What is that?" asked Lilith as they watched the shuttle zoom overhead and head straight for the nearest landing zone.

Ashley pulled off her assault rifle and unfolded it in her hands. "This is Chief Williams, I want all available Alliance personnel to assemble in the field 100 meters from the colony's South-West border! We have an unknown vessel on a landing approach, assume hostile!" she ordered as she double timed it toward where the shuttle was touching down.

The Alliance had given the Gunnery Chief a small squad of Marines and Engineers to help set up the defense system. They would have supplied a bigger force, but with the colony being in Terminus space gave them little space to handle and could only supply what was needed to get the GARDIAN system set up and keep the place secure.

However, with what the Brass had told them what was happening out here and how the colonies were going dark. Ashley wished they had given her a battalion or two to fight what could be coming their way.

Reaching the landing zone, the Chief looked at the seven other Marines that had assembled with their weapons at the ready. The black shuttle had barely touched down a few dozen meters away and they wanted to be ready for anything.

"Alright, safeties off but keep your fingers off the triggers. With communications out we have no idea who it could be, but be ready for anything." said Ashley readying her rifle.

"Yes, ma'am." said one of the Marines as they began to close in on the vessel.

The side hatch on the shuttle popped open and slid aside causing all the Marines to kneel with their weapons ready to fire. A large form slowly stepped out of the interior and into the bright sunlight making half of the assembled soldiers to lower their weapons in slight awe.

Ashley was down right speechless. "...Alex?" she whispered as the nano soldier stepped off the shuttle and approached them with long strides.

**"Ashley."** he said with his filtered voice. **"Sorry about the sudden arrival, but your communications are out. You've got trouble coming your way."**

Having the Marines stand at-ease. The Gunnery Chief regarded her friend. "What's going on? You disappeared for nearly two years and you suddenly show up out of nowhere? What the hell is coming?" she asked still a bit baffled.

Alex checked his omni-tool and cursed. **"We don't have a lot of time, Ash. The Collectors are on approach to the colony as we speak, and will be within the atmosphere within the next 15 minutes."**

The news sent a shocked ripple through the gathered Marines. "The Collectors are coming _here_?" asked one of the men looking up at the sky.

The Post-Human nodded seriously, **"I've been tracking them every spare chance I could get. There was a possibility that they would be coming here and I came to warn the people. Guess I lucked out when I discovered that there was an Alliance presence here." **

Something clicked with Ashley, "It was you that brought the data about the Collectors to Anderson and Hackett, wasn't it?" she asked already knowing the answer.

Alex nodded again, **"Yes, but this isn't the time for explanations. We need to get the colonists inside and out of the open before the bug bastards are close enough to unleash their Seekers." **he said heading toward the colony. The Alliance personnel quickly following in step behind him with Ashley on his left.

"I expect a good explanation when we get a spare moment, Alex." she whispered as they entered the colony.

**"I hope you have a lot of free time, because it's a hell of a story." **he replied.

X

Getting the colonists to fall in was a damn nightmare. But even though they didn't trust the Alliance they could tell the severity of the situation when Alex explained and revealed what he had picked up on his approach to the colony.

The citizens began to head into the safe houses that were set up around the settlement when an atmospheric disturbance caused everyone to look to the sky.

Dark clouds began to form around a specific area and volts of lightning flashed as a large Hive-like ship broke through the clouds and come into view.

"Shit! Everyone inside! NOW!" Ashley shouted as people began scrambling to the nearest safe haven. The gathered Marines helping everyone that they could while at the same time preparing for combat.

Alex watched the Collector ship come fully into view, eyes narrowed behind his visor as he remembered the same ship fleeing after it destroyed the _Normandy_ and killed Jane. His hands clenched into tight fists as he felt his blood boiling.

_**"Warning. Bio-Organic Machines: Designated Seekers, Detected and Closing." **_said Prophet as a large dark cloud comprised of the small robots was released from the large ships under belly and began to descend on the colony below.

**"SEEKER SWARMS INBOUND!" **he shouted taking out his Harrier and firing on the incoming swarm. The rounds tearing through a handful of the robotic bugs but did almost nothing to stop the swarm.

Ashley heard Alex shout out and added her own weapons fire to the assault along with her fellow Marines. Doing everything in their power to give the colonists enough time to get into cover.

The Seekers infested the colony in seconds. A handful of colonists that couldn't make it inside fast enough were stung, the venom freezing the innocent people where they stood and leaving them vulnerable.

One of the Alliance engineers fired an incinerate into a cluster of the bugs and burned them in moments. But a lone Seeker latched on to the back of his neck and stung him before he had a chance to defend. His body froze in place with his hand attempting to reach back to grab the little robot.

Seeing what was happening around him, Alex leapt off of the building he had stood on and hit the ground hard. _**"Maximum Armor."**_ A small cluster of Seekers attacked him immediately, latching on to his body and attempting to sting through the nano suits hardened weave only to have their stingers bounce off.

Keeping a close eye on his energy meter as it dropped a little with each sting. The nano soldier ran full sprint through the colony, shouldering his weapon as he gathered any frozen colonists and bringing them inside. Using a hack program to seal the doors so that the people were safe.

_**"Energy Level: 81%"**_ Prophet warned.

Grabbing the Seekers that were still stinging him, Alex crushed them in his hands as he fired an incinerate on another cluster of the bugs. Lighting the little bastards up and giving him a moment to grab a frozen Marine and toss him into a storage unit and seal the door.

More Seekers began stinging the suit, trying harder and harder to pierce through the outer layer and complete their programming.

_**"Energy Level: 68%"**_

Alex shook off the little attackers and began running again. The sounds of gunfire that had been so loud before was almost silent as what little defenders the colony had either found cover or were frozen in stasis.

It was impossible to protect and secure them all, the colony was just too big and the swarms were bigger than he thought they were.

One Seeker attached itself to his visor and he quickly swatted it off as he picked up a frozen woman and handed her off to a group of people in a nearby house. **"Lock the door, and don't open it until these freaks are gone." **he said getting a nod from one of the men as the door sealed and locked quickly.

_**"Energy Level: 42%"**_ "Just keep it on the HUD and stop telling me!" shouted the Post-Human as he tried to concentrate.

'Alex? It's Ashley, We've gathered everyone we can at the Northern safe house. But we lost half of the squad to whatever the hell these things inject when they sting.' said Ashley over a private comm line.

**"I'm heading your way, just keep everyone safe and inside." **said the nano soldier as he ran through the colony. The silence being filled with loud buzzing from the Seeker Swarms.

Checking the meter on his HUD, he saw that he only had a quarter of his energy reserves left. Alex pushed himself harder as more of the bugs tried to freeze him like the colonists.

Rounding the next corner he saw the safe house Ashley had mentioned just ahead. A group of people was running through the streets ahead of him to try and make it before they were attacked by the swarms.

At the end of the group was a mother and her son trying to keep up with the others. The little boy, who looked no older than five or six, ran as fast as his little legs could carry him. A crack in the road caught his foot causing him to crash to the ground "MOMMY!" he screamed making the woman whirl around.

"DANIEL!" the woman cried. She never got a chance to move as a black blur ran up and scooped the boy in his arms. **"GO!" **Alex roared as they all began to push harder. A large swarm closing in on their backs as they closed the distance between them and the safe house.

The Post-Human could feel a bunch of the Seekers on his back stinging hard. He curled the little boy in his arms closer to his chest to keep him safe as his remaining energy began dropping steadily until it reached zero. _**"Energy depleted."**_

He felt the first sting pierce the nano suit when he was 20 yards away from the safe house door. The second not two steps later.

_**"Xeno Neurotoxin Detected. Attempting to Isolate." **_Alex heard Prophet as he felt the Seeker venom spread, causing his movements to slow as the suit and the nanites in his body fought back the effects.

Another sting was felt when he reach the ten yard mark. Ashley and two other Marines stood in the door way to the safe house as they brought in the group and could only watched as the nano soldier kept pushing to reach them with his passenger.

_**"Neurotoxin Spreading. Systems Being Disrupted."**_

His movements were all but slown to a crawl. The boy in his arms was looking up at him in fear and in awe as he continued to push. The Seekers on his back continued to sting him in an attempt to put the Post-Human down. The nanites in his body fighting back against the toxin but only managing to slow down the process.

After what felt like hours, Alex made it through the opening as the Marines slammed the door behind him. The boy's mother ran forward and took her son into her arms and checked him over while his savior began to freeze up where he stood.

Ashley swatted the remaining Seekers off her friends back and stomp on them with her armored boot before checking on him. "Maverick! Maverick talk to me!" she shouted as she watched his movements become barely noticeable.

_**"Suit Systems Disrupted. Motor Functions Seizing."**_

_**"Isolation of Neurotoxin: 4%" **_

**"A...A...Ash...ley..." **he tried to say as the Seeker venom finished spreading. The nano soldier now stood frozen solid. Wisps of black and ember colored energy fluctuating around his form while the Marines and colonists looked on wide-eyed.

Ashley looked on helpless as her friend and comrade was now nothing more than a lawn ornament. "He...he saved me..." said the little boy curling into his mothers arms as silent tears traveled down his cheeks.

The woman looked up from her son at Alex's frozen form, "Maverick...we had heard rumors that he was out here in the Terminus helping fight back against mercenaries and slavers. Thank the gods he arrived when he did to warn us."

Snapping out of her thoughts, Ashley looked down at his right hand and brought up her omni-tool. "Prophet? Are you there? Please, tell me that you're there." she said praying that the AI in the nano suit would respond.

Alex's omni-tool flared to life and Prophet's hologram form appeared above it. _**"Gunnery Chief Williams. What do you Require?" **_asked the AI.

Relieved to hear the synthetic voice, the Chief looked at the small hologram. "What is his condition? What the hell are these things injecting people with?" she asked referring to the Seekers.

_**"Collector Forces Implement Seeker Swarms in order to Paralyse Organic life. Swarms are armed with a Powerful and Unique Neurotoxin that is Designed for Organic Targets solely."**_ explained Prophet.

_**"Once trapped in Paralysis, the Collectors are able to Capture Victims without Problication. User is Currently under the Effects of the Seeker Neurotoxin. Suit Systems and Nanites Working in Tandem to Isolate the Toxin and Formulate Countermeasure."**_

Ashley let out a breath of relief, but became serious when she remembered their situation. "How do we deal with the Collectors?"

_**"Once the Seekers have Finished their Programmed task, Collector Ground Forces will move in to Begin Gathering Colonists."**_

_**"The Remaining Number of Defenders and Alliance Personnel are Insufficient to hold off a Direct Assault."**_

"Then what the hell are we suppose to do then?" asked one of the remaining Marines.

Ashley bit her lip, it felt like the Eden Prime incident all over again. Steeling her resolve, she looked at the remaining personnel under her command. "Make sure that the safe house is secured. And try to get the other safe houses on short-range radio." she ordered as they began to check over the safe house and the colonists that made it.

While this was going on, Alex could only watch from his paralysed state as everyone around him got ready for the worst.

_**"Isolation of Neurotoxin: 19%"**_

_"Hurry the fuck up Prophet..."_ he thought helplessly as the AI tried to help him get control of his body back.

X

Jane Shepard was not happy.

She'd been awake for almost two weeks now and felt put off by how much things had changed across the galaxy since her...she couldn't even think of it.

Her last memory of what happened was the _Normandy_ being destroyed. Being in space with Alex as he tried to save her from the ruptures in her suit. Then there was a bright flash and everything went black.

The next thing the Commander knew, she was waking up on a Cerberus station that was under attack and finding out that she had been 'dead' for _Two Years_.

After making it off the station, and meeting with the Illusive Man, she was informed of what had happened in her absence. The Collectors had been abducting Human colonies for one reason or another and the terrorist organization was providing her with the resources needed to take them down.

At first she was skeptical. But a trip to Freedom's Progress and seeing first hand of what had happened told her how serious things were.

Meeting up with Tali had also did her some good...but when the 'mission' was over, after she had been given a ship that had both Joker and Dr. Chakwas on board waiting for her, everything had crashed into Jane like a tidal wave.

Two years...she'd been gone for two years and things seemed so much more different.

She thought about her old crew...her friends...and Alex. The mere thought of the nano soldiers name was enough to bring her to her knees in grief. What happened to him? Was he okay? Did he...did he die after being spaced like she had? She needed to know.

She had to find him.

With that in mind, Jane began to gather people for her fight against the Collectors as she searched for clues of Alex's whereabouts. Her first top was Omega where she acquired Zaeed Massani, a well renowned bounty hunter. Mordin Solus, a skilled and very intelligent Salarian scientist. And a vigilante named Archangel who turned out to be her friend Garrus Vakarian.

Seeing another familiar face, the Commander wasted no time pulling the Turian aside not long after he recovered from his facial injury and began grilling him about what had happened while she was gone.

Jane was shocked, to say the least, when Garrus told her everything that transpired since her death. How Alex discovered what the old Council had been up to and his plan to bring them down while keeping the threat of the Reapers alive in her memory.

It had cost him his Spectre status, his good name in Council space, and his home. But she knew that it was something only he could have done. Alex would have done anything to keep everyone safe and aware of the bigger threat, not matter the cost to him,

Leaving Omega, Jane received a message from Anderson and immediately went to the Citadel to put more pieces of the puzzle together.

The meeting with Anderson and the new Council had been a tense one. Even though the HUman Councilor was on her side, the rest of the Council was a little hesitant to trust given her current ties to Cerberus.

But unlike the previous Council, they believed in the Reaper threat and what she was currently going up against. They reinstated her Spectre status and restricted her to the Terminus systems, but at least they took what she said seriously and she was greatful.

When the meeting was over she asked Anderson what had gone on. He didn't bullshit her and told her everything he knew.

Her heart nearly burst out of her chest when the ex-Alliance Captain told her that Alex was alive and somewhere out in Terminus space. That he'd been fighting against Cerberus, mercs and slavers all while handing out vital data to the right people that none of them knew how he was getting a hold of.

The Councilor was full of pride, telling her that even though Alex was considered a wanted man he was still doing all in his power to make sure everyone was ready for the Reapers and any other threats that could have been posed.

With renewed resolve, Jane went back on her mission. More determined to find Alex than ever.

Recruiting the master thief, Kasumi Goto before venturing back out into the Traverse. The Commander did some digging in the new _Normandy's _archives with the help of the ship's AI EDI. It turned out that Alex had single-handedly halted, disrupted and obliterated multiple Cerberus operations all over the Traverse. And did so in the style that many had known him for.

Fear griped her when she finished reading a few more reports. What if he hated her because of her ties to Cerberus? What if he had moved on with his life after her death and couldn't handle seeing her back from the dead?

Forcing those thoughts from her mind, Jane gathered two more crewmates for the mission.

A powerful biotic criminal named Jack who had a personality as colorful as the tattoos that covered her body. And a tank-bred Krogan that was said to be 'pure' according to the Warlord that had grown him.

It was an interesting group, to say the least, but Jane couldn't help but keep thinking back to her old friends on the original _Normandy_. Garrus, Chakwas and Joker helped make everything manageable, but she still had trouble sleeping at night with thoughts of the past.

And it didn't help that she was being monitored on the ship almost all the time. She was constantly frying all the surveillance equipment in her quarters with overloads every spare chance she got. And Miranda was smart enough not to mention it every morning in the mess hall when she had them replaced when the Commander wasn't around.

Jane always grinned after that. If Alex had ever taught her one thing, it was to make sure that whatever you wanted private stayed that way.

Putting all thoughts aside. She entered the Comm room while the table slipped into the floor and activating the QEC panel as she stepped into it.

Her hologram form was transmitted across the Traverse and appeared in the Illusive Man's office while said tycoon sat in his chair smoking a cigarette. "Shepard. I think we have them!" he said flicking the ashes off the cancer stick. "Horizon, one of our colonies in the Terminus Systems just went silent."

An image of the planet appeared in the center of the room as he continued, "If it isn't under attack, it soon will be. Has Mordin delivered the countermeasure for the Seeker Swarms?"

"Not yet." said Jane shaking her head.

"Let's hope he works well under pressure." said the Illusive Man. "There's something else you should know." he took a drag on his cigarette. "One of your former crew, Ashley Williams, is stationed on Horizon."

The Commander looked a little surprised, "I thought Ash was Alliance. Why is she out in the Terminus Systems?"

The Illusive Man was silent a moment, "Almost a year ago, a packet of intel was sent to the Alliance regarding the colony disappearances. No one knew who the sender was, but the data was accurate. The Alliance sent out several groups to the colonies to improve relations and help the colonies better defend themselves from whatever was attacking them."

Jane didn't completely buy it. "Why would the Collectors target a colony one of my crew is stationed on? I doesn't make sense."

"It shouldn't be a surprise the Collectors are interested in you. Especially if they're working for the Reapers." The Illusive Man's glowing eyes locked on her jade ones. "They might be targeting her to get to you."

Gently scratching at the healing scars on her face that glowed a dull orange, Jane nodded. "Send us the coördinates. We'll head straight there."

The Illusive Man nodded back, "This is the most warning we've ever had, Shepard. Good luck." with that the channel closed.

Lights flickering back on in the comm room, Jane let out a deep breath. "Joker, set a course for Horizon. And have the team assemble in the comm room, we need to plan our attack carefully."

'Aye, aye Commander.' came the reply as she leaned against the wall and closed her eyes. The image of Alex's smiling face filled her thoughts making her heart clench a little. Wanting nothing more than to see and speak to him again.

"I'll find you..." she whispered to herself with conviction and opening her now hardened green eyes. Nothing would stand in the way of either one of her missions.

Stopping the Collectors...and finding her lover.

X

In a dank, dark room surrounded by terminals. A large insectoid-like being shuffled it's way around looking over the readings that scrolled by in a dialect that would have been hard to read by any other race.

The four beady, glowing yellow eyes of the Collector General surveyed each read out in seconds before quickly moving on to the next. Video feeds passed through it's vision from its underlings out in the Traverse. The Seeker swarms had completed their programmed task on the Human colony world.

Now it was time to prepare for the next stage.

One video feed from the surface caused the General to pause. The image of a large Human with black and silver armor with a crimson visor was on the screen of the terminal before it. An angry buzzing in the back of its mind knowing that this particular Human had helped to disrupt the cycle.

**"HIS PRESENCE CHANGES NOTHING."** The Collector General turned to a large holo-tank in the middle of the room where the glowing image of a Reaper hovered in the air. **"HE MAY HAVE HELPED SHEPARD POSTPONE THE CYCLE. BUT OUR WILL CANNOT BE DENIED. HIS DEMISE WILL BE THE FIRST OF MANY."**

Harbinger's hologram glowed brightly, the Collector General's eyes doing the exact same as the Reapers booming voice echoed through the room.

**"ASSUMING DIRECT CONTROL!"**

_**A/N: Everything's coming together. And you know that the next chapter will have some damn good fighting in it.**_

_**I had to be as realistic as possible in this past chapter. The nano suit is strong, but it can't hold off Seeker venom forever. Even with the nanites helping him the neurotoxin would still affect Alex like everybody else, but it would take longer since the nanites fought it off and is now helping the suit create a countermeasure. **_

_**Next time: Fighting, plot changes, fighting, awesome one liners and more fighting. The Collectors have a whole lotta hell coming their way!**_


	12. Best Defense

_**A/N: The beginning of another weekend, and I'm stuck in bed with my bad leg. It sucks balls, but I'm managing the best that I can considering the situation. And I got good news! The court date for the accident is a week from today, though with the constant calls I've been getting from the bastard's lawyer they most likely want this settled out of court. **_

_**I couldn't care less, the SOB's gonna pay and pay hard for what he did and send a damn message to pay fucking attention when you're driving. **_

_**That aside, I thought it would be good for me to get this next chapter out before the beginning of the weekend. Being bedridden all this time has got the creative juices really flowing and I want to get them into writing before losing them to another writers block. **_

_**One of the questions asked in one of the reviews I received said something about how the Seekers could penetrate the nano suits weave. The answer is a rather simple one. Once Armor Mode is deactivated, if bullets can cause the user damage then so can the Seeker Swarms. Even the best of equipment in the field of battle has its flaws. **_

_**And as for the questions pertaining to whether or not Ashley, Kaidan or both will be joining the crew?...You'll just have to wait and see. But to let you all in on a little something, a lot more big changes are coming.**_

_**(I own nothing)**_

**Alexander 'Maverick' Drake**

**Horizon - Human Colony**

**October 4, 2185 - 16:19 hours**

_**"Neurotoxin Isolation: 89%"**_

Alex had never felt so vulnerable before. His own body betraying him because of the Seeker venom still running through his veins. All he could do was remain frozen where he stood as the people in the safe house went about fortifying the doors and preparing for the worst.

On several occasions, the Marines in the room would talk about him. His sensitive hearing picking up their conversations easily from across the room.

They'd wonder about what he had been doing out in this corner of the system. And more often he'd hear them asking about what Prophet was and if it was some kind of advanced VI interface.

Thankfully Ashley had run interference hearing that line of talk before coming over to check on him to see if there was any improvement.

From what everyone had been talking about, the Collectors had already made landfall and their ground forces were scowering the colony for their victims. The nano soldier knew that the number of people able to defend the colonists wouldn't be remotely enough to fend off the bugs. And it pissed him off that he was unable to help them with his current condition.

_**"Neurotoxin Isolation: Complete." **_

_"Thank fucking god!" _Alex thought relieved as data began scrolling across his HUD. The Seeker venom's chemical blueprint appeared and several points within the biological structure were highlighted.

_**"Xeno Neurotoxin Genetic Makeup Being Rewritten." **_

The highlighted components of the paralytic began to alter thanks to the nano suit. Much like the Ceph nanites that he had acquired in the Crysis Universe, the suit was being broken down and turned into a defense against further attacks using the toxin.

_**"Genetic Rewrite Complete."**_

_**"Neurotoxin Countermeasure Integration Commencing..."**_

Alex could feel his limbs starting to come back to him. His fingers twitched as the dark energy surrounding his form began to slowly dissipate.

_**"Integration Complete. Initializing."**_

Fists clenched and limbs started to shake as more of the nano soldiers body began to fall back under his control once more. One of the Marines standing nearby saw this and perked up, "Uh...Chief Williams. Something's happening." he said catching Ashley's attention.

Alex's HUD stabilized as he felt his suit systems start to come back online. His body waking up more and more with each passing second.

_**"System Rebooting." **_

The dark energy surrounding the Post-Human dissipated completely just as Ashley entered the room. Alex fell to the floor in a kneeling position as he fully came back into control of his body again. **"I...hate those bastards..."** he growled standing back upright again.

"How are you feeling?" asked the Gunnery Chief.

Alex cracked his neck and rolled his shoulders, getting the blood flowing after being stuck in the same position for two hours. **"Been better. What's the situation on the outside?"**

"The Collectors are all over the colony. A couple of my men went out to check the situation but haven't come back. The Seeker swarms are still in the air and probably got to them." said Ashley as she gave him the run down.

Bringing up his omni-tool, Alex projected a 3D map of the colony before them. **"I've never faced them before, but from the information I've gathered the Collectors have a formidable army. Their weapons are advanced, and a select few are said to have abilities that are unrecorded by any other species."**

"So how do we fight them?" asked one of the colonists.

The nano soldier typed a few keys on his omni-tool. **"Prophet, bring up the GARDIAN defense grid around the colony."** The laser turrets all highlighted, each one connected by an array of underground power conduits all conjoining to a central hub on the far side of the settlement by the space port. **"That's our only chance. The colony's defense systems are the only thing that is powerful enough to force the Collectors off the ground."**

"But the targeting matrix is still off, without it the turrets won't work." Ashley pointed out.

**"I'll take care of the targeting matrix."** replied Alex, **"I just need to reach the main control hub for the defense grid and get everything up and running." **

The shock that went through the room could have been felt. "You're going out there alone? Are you insane! Those things will take you down the second you step out of the door!" exclaimed Lilith.

**"My suit is adaptable, it's taken the Seeker venom and converted it into a countermeasure. I can't be frozen again, which means that I'm the only one that can make it to the control hub."** said the Post-Human shutting down the 3D map.

Ashley shook her head. "That's crazy, you do know that right?"

Alex shrugged, **"Wouldn't be the first insane thing I've done, and definitely won't be the last." **he said looking around the safe house. **"Is there a back way out of here?" **Ashley nodded and began leading him through the three-story building toward the back room on the opposite end.

Colonists watched them pass as they tended to friends and family who had managed to escape the siege. Looking at the men, women and children around them, Alex couldn't help but feel more anger bubble up within him.

The Collectors had been doing this all over the Terminus. And unless they were stopped it would keep happening until they began attacking the rest of the Traverse.

He knew that Jane was on her way here with her new crew. It was only a matter of time before they arrived, but he needed to get everything set up and push the bug bastards from the colony before every one was taken.

"Alex." Ashley whispered catching the nano soldier's attention. "Are you sure about this? From what the Alliance told us about what these things are capable of, I think you could use a little back up."

**"I'll be fine, Ash. You guys don't have the countermeasure that I do, and I won't risk anymore lives."** he replied as they approached a sealed door in the back of the house. **"They're strong, but not unstoppable. And I know how to handle a battalion or two." **

The Gunnery Chief nodded and bit her lip, "There's something else that you should know." she said as they stopped at the door. "There have been rumors, I don't know if they're true or not, but there has been intel that...Shepard is alive."

Alex was silent for a few moments before slowly breathing out his nose, "I know." he said cutting off his voice filter since they were alone. "I've known for some time now."

Omni-tool springing to life, he pressed a few keys before Ashley's chimed. "Ash, I need you to listen carefully to what I have to say. And don't interrupt me until I'm finished." he said very serious.

Nodding slowly, Ashley waited for him to continue.

"What I just sent to you is information about a secret project that only a select few know about. It's the reason that the rumors about Jane coming back from the dead are circulating. But to understand that you need to know how it came about." the nano soldier explained.

"The Collectors are the ones that attacked the _Normandy_ two years ago. They are working for the Reapers and saw Jane and I as threats to their masters' plans. Not long after the attack, the Shadow Broker found Jane's body and was attempting to sell her to the Collectors because the two had brokered a deal."

The Chief looked both stricken and angry hearing this, but remained silent as her friend pressed on.

"But their plans didn't go unnoticed. Liara actually intercepted several communications about what the Shadow Broker was planning and set out to make sure that he failed. With the help of several sources, she managed to get Jane's body back from the bastard...then she contacted Cerberus."

"No...Alex, please tell me she didn't hand the Commander's remains to those terrorist bastards!" Ashley said not wanting to believe it.

Alex nodded grimly, "She had no choice, Ash. Collector attacks were on the rise, and with them working for the Reapers that can only mean something far worse is going on that we are not aware of. The galaxy needs her back..._I_ need her back..." he looked off to the side when he said the last bit.

"The data I sent you was about what Cerberus went through to bring her back. The project was codenamed 'Lazarus' and cost them roughly six billion credits to do the job. They managed to do what was considered impossible."

Not waiting another moment, Ashley flicked on her own omni-tool and began reading through the data the Post-Human had sent to her. Not two minutes in her face turned pale. "It's...It's not natural...I can't believe that they brought her back from the dead." she looked up at him. "She's...she's working with them now...Isn't she?"

Alex shook his head seriously, "They brought her back, but from what I've been able to gather it is more out of necessity. Cerberus has the resources and the equipment to help her combat the Collectors. It's more like a shaky truce than anything else. Though I can understand your unease."

Ashley gritted her teeth and shut down her omni-tool, "How do we know that this is the same Skipper that we knew from two years ago? Cerberus could have just built a VI that thinks it's her?"

"You have all the data right there, Ash." said Alex. "The Illusive Man wanted her back exactly the way she was. The leader of the project wanted to implant a control chip, but he shut down the idea before it could be implemented."

"Even if that's true, and she really is Commander Shepard, how do we know it's really her? Cerberus could have done something to her, controlling her to follow them and make her feel obligated to be on her side after they brought her back." said Ashley.

"For all we know, Cerberus is working with the Collectors."

Crossing the room in two quick strides and stood in front of the Gunnery Chief making her take an involuntary step back given the size difference between them. "Ash, I can prove that Cerberus isn't working with the Collectors. I've torn down almost a dozen facilities that they were running in the last two years. They were gathering data on the bastards, but were fighting _against_ them. Not with them."

He took a step back and turned to face the door, "As for whether or not Jane is the same as she was back then...I don't have an answer for that. Guess we'll just have to find out when we see her. Just trust me on this, Ash, if there was ever a time I need you to believe in what I'm saying, that time is now." he said as he headed toward the sealed entrance.

Ashley looked at him oddly, "How do you know all this?" she asked still a little skeptical.

The nano soldier paused and looked back at her, "Because Liara and I went hunting for the Shadow Broker a little over a year ago. We found him...and killed him. We now control his network of data and have access to intel never thought possible."

Seeing her shocked and awed visage, Alex continued. "I know this is a lot to take in. I don't blame you for not believing any of it. But I am asking that you don't jump to conclusions and keep an open mind to all possibilities." he turned back to the door and drew his Harrier, "Your still one of my closest friends Ash. So, please, just trust me okay?"

Overcoming her shock, Ashley took a deep breath. "I trust you Alex...but this whole thing is...I just don't know where to start. I'll need time to come to grips with it all I guess." she admitted. "Just please be careful out there."

Getting a nod in response. The nano soldier unlocked the door and stepped out into the bright sunlight still casting down on the colony. The entrance closing and relocking behind him for safe measure.

X

A deep sigh passed through Jane's lips as she stood behind Joker in the _Normandy's_ cockpit. It had been a good thing they were only a couple of hours out from Horizon, they were just barely coming out of FTL and was en route to the colony.

"We're about 40 minutes out, Commander." said Joker as he brought the ship in closer.

Jane nodded, "Have the team arm up and gather in the cargo hold. We're all going in, I'm not taking any chances if the Collectors are already there." she replied stiffly.

Joker turned in his seat and regarded her, "You've been pretty tense today, Shepard. Rough trying to sleep again?"

The Commander didn't respond at first, ever since the Illusive Man told her about this mission she'd had a funny feeling since. Of course she was worried about the colonists and wondering what Ashley was doing down there. But there was something else...something she couldn't put her finger on.

"Just an odd feeling. And hoping that we can stop the Collectors from taking anymore people." she said rubbing her eyes. "Stay on course and let us know when it's safe to take the shuttle in." with that she turned on her heel and headed for the elevator in the CIC.

Joker turned back to the controls and made sure everything was good to go.

X

The colony was almost dead silent. Any of the colonists that weren't either in hiding or picked off by the Collectors already were still frozen where they stood. Looks of both fear and desperation clear in their eyes as they were trapped within their own bodies and waiting to be harvested.

At the same time, the Collectors were milling around the colony. Gathering the people their Seekers had paralysed while hunting for any of those that managed to escape the swarms. Several drones milling around with weapons in hand while a few of their comrades moved in with large pods to harvest the colonists.

Husks were also skulking around as back up support in the event of retaliation from the Human settlers.

The massive Collector ship stood straight up, its back end close to the ground close to the colony with its front pointed at the sky like a demonic monolith. A terrifying sight to anyone who were to lay eyes upon it.

Nothing would escape them, and the will of their masters.

A cloaked form slipped from shadow to shadow. Remaining out of sight of the patrolling humanoid insects while marking their locations so that they didn't get the drop on him.

Alex pressed his back to the wall of a small building, cloaked and with weapon in hand as he peered around the corner. A group of three Collectors were tossing bodies into the pods for easy transport.

Gripping the assault rifle tighter, he kept his anger in check as he began to creep along the wall. Drawing in closer to the group of aliens as he waited for the right moment to strike.

When they tossed the last body into a pod and sealed it closed he attacked.

Driving his combat knife into the back of the closest drone's carapace and dropping his cloak before firing a quick burst into the one standing next to it. The last Collector chattered something in its native tongue and raised its weapon to attack only for Alex to re-aim and put two quick rounds through its head.

Pulling the knife free and dropping the corpse to the ground. The Post-Human reactivated his cloak and got moving again. The sounds of combat being enough to draw attention and he wanted to make sure that he wasn't boxed in.

He couldn't risk an all out war with the Collectors. They had him outnumbered by unfathomable numbers and he didn't have nearly enough thermal clips, arrows and grenades to handle such an onslaught.

The only strategy he had on his side was to use stealth followed by hit and run tactics until he reached the GARDIAN control hub. Short range radios were knocked out because of the Seeker swarms still in the air meaning the nano soldier was on his own from here on out.

A cluster of Seekers flew overhead making Alex snap his weapon up at the sky. His HUD flashed red and revealed his energy meter nearly empty. Thinking fast, he headed toward the closest building and opened the door before slipping inside.

The building was a storage shed and had an assortment of gardening and farming equipment. It had no windows and only one door making it the perfect place to set up and wait for his energy to replenish.

Deactivating his cloak, Alex made sure that the door was locked before pulling up the map of the colony again. **"Prophet, how much farther to the objective?" **he asked checking over the map before him.

_**"Target Location is 300 meters North-West of Users Current Position. Warning. Multiple Hostiles Detected Between User and Target Location."**_ said the AI.

Reloading a fresh thermal clip into the Harrier. Alex pulled out his bow and loaded a clip of regular bolts. **"Just gotta play it safe until we make it to the target. Nice and easy."** he said mostly to himself as he watched the energy meter on his HUD completely refill.

Ready once more, the Post-Human approached the door and was about to open it when Prophet chimed. _**"Proximity Alert!"**_ Alex pressed himself to the door and listened as the sound of footsteps and the buzzing of large wings passed through the metal. No doubt a small group was heading back to where he had killed the three drones moments ago.

He waited patiently for them to pass before making his move. _**"Cloak Engaged." **_the door opened and he slipped out silently. Arrow knocked and sting pulled back ready for the worst as he continued on his path.

_"It's worse than I thought."_ he wondered, pressing himself into a corner as a couple Collector Troopers walked by, the hideous form of a Scion shuffling close behind them making Alex grip his bow a little tighter. _"Have to stay focused. The suit won't be able to to help me much if all these bastards attack me as one."_

When the hostiles passed, Alex charged a little energy to his legs and leaped up on to the top of the building next to him.

The sudden noise caused a Collector Assassin to spin around raising its particle beam. Seeing nothing there, the alien treaded forward weapon still at the ready as it looked for an enemy. Its four glowing eyes scanning for anything out of the ordinary.

Keeping the bolt drawn back, Alex kept a close eye on the lone Collector as he tried to skirt around it.

Chattering something in its language, the assassin's vision cycled through several variants. Night vision, thermal, and finally EMP where the outline of a large Human was revealed making the alien let out a loud trilling noise as it charged the particle weapon in its hands.

The nano soldier fired the arrow, the bolt punching straight through the Collector's head. The body falling limp over the side of the building and hitting the ground below as Drones and Troopers began to Troopers began to converge. Their comrades alert causing them to shift their own vision and see Alex standing on the building before them.

Several loud trills echoed as they opened fire forcing the Post-Human into cover. **"Shit! How did they see me?" **He shouted firing a bolt into the gathered aliens below.

_**"Analysis of Collector Physiology Indicates Advanced Cybernetics. Ocular Implants allow for Multiple Vision Modes."**_ said Prophet.

**"Just fucking wonderful."** Alex muttered before deactivating his cloak no longer seeing the point in using it if they could still see him. He began sprinting across the rooftops, jumping over the gaps between buildings while dodging rounds being fired his way.

_**"Maximum Armor." **_turning to his left, he fired arrow after arrow into the pursuing Collectors and dropping one after another with each landed hit until the clip ran empty.

Switching quickly to his rifle, Alex took down as many of the humanoid bugs as he could while trying to get closer to the target. Even managing to shoot a couple of the Drones out of the air while they were in flight before leaping from the edge of the last rooftop and hitting the ground below.

A beam of super heated energy lanced through the air and scorched the chest piece of his suit dropping his energy by almost half and making him drop behind a low wall for cover. The Assassin that got him fired another beam from its particle weapon as more Drones and Troopers swarmed in.

Alex leaned out of cover and fired a few quick bursts before being forced back into cover from the hail of rounds that peppered around him. Through his HUD, he managed to tag about a dozen Collectors spread out blocking his path.

According the nav point on his mini-map, the nano soldier saw that the space port and defense hub was on the other side of the large building behind them. He was almost there.

One of the gathered Collectors started to convulse, ember colored energy arching over its form. Eyes glowing brightly as the creature hovered off the ground as the energy consumed it while a loud booming voice resounded. **"ASSUMING DIRECT CONTROL!"**

Touching back down, the possessed Drone looked around a moment before locking on to where the Post-Human was hunkered down. **"WE ARE THE HARBINGER OF YOUR DESTRUCTION. YOUR ACTIONS ARE FOR NAUGHT."**

**"And now there's this thing..." **Alex muttered before leaning out and putting down another Drone. **"You know the last time a Reaper told me that, things didn't turn out so well for them!"** he called out while reloading his weapon.

**"SOVEREIGNS DESTRUCTION WAS UNPRESIDENTED. WE KNEW NOTHING OF THE PROTHEANS MEDDLING WITH THE CITADEL RELAY. BUT IT MATTERS NOTHING NOW. THE CYCLE CANNOT BE STOPPED."** said Harbinger.

**"You forget that it was our combined efforts that destroyed one of your kind. Now this whole galaxy knows you exist, we'll be ready for you fuckers and will fight you to the bitter end!" **the nano soldier said with conviction as he took out his bow and loaded an arrow clip.

**"YOUR WORDS ARE AS HOLLOW AS YOUR FUTURE, HYBRID. COUNTLESS RACES ATTEMPTED TO RESIST OUR WILL. ALL FELL TO THE POWER WE WIELD. WHY DO YOU FIGHT YOUR OWN KIND?"**

Alex was on his feet, bow-string drawn back ready to fire as he gnashed his teeth behind his visor. **"I am not part of **_**your kind**_**! I will always be Human at heart no matter what happens to my body! And you should know by now how adaptable we Humans are. That's why your having your little puppets harvesting us...your afraid of us! Afraid of what we're capable of! You and your kind want us out of the way incase more like Shepard and I rise up to face you!" **

Silence filled the courtyard. The Drone being controled by the ancient Reaper made no movement as it regarded the nano soldier. **"FEAR. AN IRRELIVENT EMOTION INSTILLED BY ORGANICS WHEN FACED WITH THEIR INEVITABLE DEMISE. WE DO NOT FEEL THIS. OUR WILL REMAINS UNMATCHED, EVEN NOW."**

From the nearby buildings, three Scions trudged their way out in the open and joined the Collector ranks. A handful of Husks following them making the enemy blockade stronger. **"YOUR ATTEMPTS TO STOP US WILL FAIL LIKE THE MANY THAT WERE BEFORE YOU. YOUR DEATH WILL MARK THE BEGINNING OF THE END OF YOUR SPECIES AND THOSE WHO STAND WITH YOU." **

Despite the odds stacked against him, Alex smirked. **"It's a long way from here to the afterlife, Harbinger. I hope you brought an army, because your gonna need it."**

The possessed Collector pointed a clawed finger at the Post-Human. **"TEAR HIM APART."** the Drones, Troopers, Assassins, Husks and Scions shrieked/roared as they charged forward.

(SLOW MOTION!)

Alex released the string, the arrow sailed through the air in a straight path past the line of hostiles and straight toward the possessed Drone. Burying itself into the creature's chest before exploding with enough force to blow it apart and send the ones standing around it hurdling back from the blast.

(SLOW MOTION END)

**"Got sick of listening to that thing run its mouth."** Alex said drawing back another frag arrow. **"Whose next!" **

_**A/N: I know you guys were looking for a lot of action. But considering the size of the Collector forces, one man against an army of advanced aliens with powerful weapons is an uphill battle that even a nano soldier would have trouble trying to overcome. A**__**nd in combat you need to us all possible angles instead of running in guns blazing.**_

_**I'm intending on using the new Collector classes that were in the Multiplayer DLC content Retaliation for added thrills later in the story. Gotta give props for the new enemies somewhere.**_

_**The next chapter will have a pretty big fire fight, and with the **_**Normandy_'s new crew closing in there will be a reunion to remember. Till then guys!_**


	13. Nano Soldier vs Collectors

_**A/N: It's taken me a couple of days to get this next update out. But I had to do a little extra research on certain units in the Collector army to make sure that everything was as accurate as possible for this chapter and the story beyond. And believe me, for those of you who haven't played the DLC Retaliation, then your about to see some new ideas you probably would have never thought of.**_

_**I gotta give Bioware and EA that much credit. The ending of the series may have sucked balls, but they know how to make enemies interesting to fight!**_

_**I own nothing**_

**Commander Jane Shepard**

**Horizon - Human Colony**

**October 4, 2185 - 16:50 hours**

Horizon had almost been exactly like Freedoms Progress when they first arrived. The colony had been silent as a grave after the shuttle touched down and the team stepped off guns ready as they entered the sieged settlement.

Seeker Swarms flying overhead passing them by without detection thanks to Mordin's countermeasure that had been integrated into their armor systems.

When they first encountered the Collectors, Jane was overcome with a rage she could barely keep contained. These were the creatures that had destroyed the first _Normandy_. Killing members of her crew, endangering her friends...and costing her two years of her life that she would never get back.

Seeing the humanoid insects fall under the combined firepower of her newly assembled team filled her with satisfaction. Payback for everything the bastards had done to the countless people they had abducted.

The team of nine swept through the colony, forming a good defense so that the Collectors couldn't flank them. Jack and Grunt were wearing matching grins as they tore through their enemies.

Along the way, the Commander discovered multiple buildings locked up and found that colonists were inside and safe from the Collectors and their Seekers. When questioned, the colonists said that the Alliance personnel stationed there managed to get them to safety just as the Collectors had arrived.

Making sure that the people were safe and out of harms way, the team moved on. Running into pockets of hostiles at every other turn as they continued to search for answers on how to deal with the invading force.

"Didn't that last group of people mention something about a safe house not far from here?" asked Garrus as he chambered a fresh thermal clip into his sniper rifle.

Jane nodded, "Sounds like the best place for any of the Alliance that was stationed here to hole up." she said as they pushed on. "And if we're lucky Ashley will be there too."

"Can't blame 'em for runnin and hidin." said Zaeed as he kicked the dead body of a Collector Trooper. "These bastards are pretty tough with the heat their packin."

"And they're horribly outnumbered." said Miranda as they searched for any more enemies. "Who knows how many troops the Collectors have on their side."

Loud buzzing resounded through the dirt covered street as two Drones flew over a line of buildings and landed on the ground drawing their assault rifles. Jack glowed with dark energy and lifted them into the air with her biotics before blasting them into the wall and splattering their blood everywhere.

"Whatever we're doing, make up your fucking mind." the bald woman said hefting her shotgun.

They entered a courtyard surrounded by two story buildings and low walls when Kasumi's sharp eyes picked up something. A Collector laid dead against a planter, but what was unusual was what killed it. "Hay, I think I found something." she said alerting the others.

Jane approached the body as the master thief moved the Drones head to the side. She froze mid-step when she saw a long thin shaft sticking out of the Collectors forehead. Kasumi grabbed the and pulled hard, the weapon came free revealing a bloody tungsten arrowhead attached to the end.

"And arrow?" the thief wondered. "Who uses arrows these days? It's beyond antique warfare."

Mordin looked over the bolt, "Hmm. Primitive, yes. But effective in combat. Kinetic barriers designed for mass accelerated munitions. Arrow most likely fired with much lower velocity. Negating the barrier entirely and making a kill all but definite: Very effective."

The bolt was snatched from Kasumi's hands making her look up. The Commander was looking it over with careful, nostalgic eyes. Gloved fingers running gently over the arrows shaft and head as memories came flooding to her.

"...He's here..." she whispered before looking off into the distance. Pocketing the arrow, Jane began to move a little quicker toward where the safe house was said to have been.

"What was all that about?" asked Jacob a little confused.

Garrus' eyes watched the Commander closely, "There is only one person that we know that uses a bow an arrow in a firefight and kill this effectively." he said as they began to follow after Jane. "A comrade...and a really good friend."

"Maverick." said Miranda with an edge to her tone.

The gathered individuals, save for Grunt, knew the name well. "No shit? That walking tank is stomping around here?" asked Jack hearing more than a handful of stories in her time about the one man army that had been laying waste to countless merc bands and slavers throughout the Terminus.

"Always wanted to meet the one that kicked the Blus Suns asses off the Citadel all those years ago." said Zaeed.

Kasumi was grinning, thinking about the vigilante turned Spectre's tech abilities that made hers look like second rate. Mordin was thinking roughly the same to himself while Miranda and Jacob were now a little unease with the thought of the one that had also laid waste to Cerberus personnel for the last couple years being planet side.

"Who is this 'Maverick'?" asked Grunt. "You make him sound like a powerful warrior."

Garrus nodded, "Believe me Grunt, I haven't met the one that could beat this guy in combat. The only one that could match him in a battle of wills is Shepard."

The tank-born Krogan grunted as they continued on. Garrus moved a little farther ahead and stood next to the Commander. "You okay?" he asked while keeping his eyes sharp for any more Collectors.

Jane was quiet. Assault rifle clenched tightly as her gaze remained forward. "He's here, Garrus. I don't know how I know, but I do. I need to find him. After the last two years...I just need to see that he's okay just as much as Ashley. With my own eyes." she admitted.

The Turian nodded slowly when the sound of gunfire resounded from somewhere else in the colony. "That was gunfire! Someone's still fighting out there!" he shouted bringing his weapon up.

"How is that possible? The Seekers would have frozen anyone that isn't holed up somewhere." said Miranda trying to make sense of it.

"It doesn't matter." said Jane activating the incinerary ammo mod on her rifle. "If there are people still holding their own we better give them a hand. Joker and EDI are still being blocked off from the interference in the air so we just have to rely on our eyes and ears." she looked back to the team. "Let's move! Double time people!"

X

**Alexander 'Maverick' Drake**

**Horizon - Human Colony**

**October 4, 2185 - 16:52 hours**

Alex spun on his heel and fired an arrow right into the head of a Drone that had tried to flank him. His elbow quickly snapped back and connected hard with a Husk's deformed face, cracking both bone and cybernetics.

The remaining Collectors opened fire on the nano soldier. Among them, the hulking forms of three Scions fired their cannon arms sending biotic shockwaves in his direction forcing him to dive out of the way and into cover as his energy replenished itself.

**"Five Collectors. Three Scions. And four Husks." **he thought out loud drawing one of his Paladins and shooting a Husk twice in the chest, dropping it. **"Three Husks. I gotta finish them off fast before reinforcements get here."**'

Scanning the area with his HUD. Alex highlighted a couple of explosive barrels and the various vantage points around the area. _**"Tactical Options Available." **_

He switched to his Harrier and jumped up opening fire on the group of hostiles and making them drop into cover. With the Drones distracted, and the Scions charging their weapons, the Post-Human was able to sight one of the explosive barrels he marked and hit it.

The following explosion incinerated the remaining Husks and lit two of the Collectors on fire that were standing closest to the barrel.

_**"Maximum Armor."**_ Alex reloaded fast and charged forward. The three Scions fired their weapons, the nano suit taking the full brunt of the attacks and dropping his energy to zero in seconds. _**"Energy Depleted."**_ His assault rifle chattered loudly as the rounds peppered the large Husks bodies.

A few bullets tearing into the glowing blue sac on the back of one of the Scions, splashing dark blue and white fluid across the ground and causing the synthetic undead to shriek in pain.

Still in a dead run, Alex dropped to the ground and slid between the wounded Scions legs. Pulling out a grenade and tossing it on to the creatures waist as he got into cover as the device detonated.

The large Husks lower half blew apart from the blast. Its shredded upper body being tossed away and hitting the ground with a sickening splat

Getting back to his feet, the nano soldier pulled out his combat knife before ramming it into the chest of one of the remaining Collectors that had been close by. The aliens counterpart aimed its assault rifle and sprayed rounds everywhere. Alex used the still twitching body on the end of his blade as a shield as he rushed the still standing one.

The rounds fired by the organic looking weapon tore through the dying Collectors exoskeleton as the Post-Human closed the gap quickly. Delivering a bone shattering kick to the Drones midsection and sending it slamming into the wall.

Pulling the sharp knife free, Alex pulled out his bow and loaded a fresh arrow clip into it.

Two shockwaves came in his direction that he wasn't ready for and sent him flying back and hitting a planter several feet away. The two Scions skulked forward, intending on putting the nano soldier down as he staggered back to his feet, bow still in hand.

Getting a good look at the large Husks. Alex had Prophet scan their bodies for any sort of weakness that could be used against them. _**"Enemy Weakness Detected." **_a red line appeared attaching to the bulbous hump on their backs. A readout appearing on the opposite end showed that the large tumor contained high levels of eezo which allowed them to fire their biotic attacks.

**"Nice shot." **he muttered as the ache in his chest slowly started to fade. A frag arrow automatically knocked itself and he pulled it back. **"Let's see how you handle this." **The bolt was released, sinking into the hump of the first Scion and exploded a second after impact.

The large Husk blew apart in a cloud of orange and blue fire, body parts scattering around the area.

Another arrow knocked, Alex drew it back and sighted the last Scion. But before he could fire the shot, the large Husk began glowing bright orange. Cracks of energy spreading across its form as it started to have spasms that were very similar to what happened to the Drone not long before.

**"...You can't be fucking serious..." **he said wide eyed.

**"ASSUMING DIRECT CONTROL!"** the Scion bellowed as it stood tall in its powerful new form. **"YOUR END IS HIGH, HYBRID."** said Harbinger as it raised its puppets cannon arm and fired a volley of six glowing balls in the nano soldier's direction.

_**"Ordinance Incoming!"**_ Prophet warned as Alex began sprinting out of range when the balls landed on the ground and exploding with unbelieveable power moments later. He fired the arrow as he ran, the explosive bolt striking the possessed Scions chest and exploding on contact.

To the Post-Human's shock, the Husk was still standing. Armor badly damaged from the blast but otherwise still combat ready.

The possessed Scion fired its cannon, a large ember colored shockwave hurdled in Alex's direction forcing him to dive into cover as it slammed into the side of an empty building and putting a dent the size of a Mack truck in the dense metal. _"Shit! Better avoid that, I doubt the suits armor mode will hold up against it."_ he thought switching his bow for his assault rifle and opening fire on the Husk.

But the rounds only met more resistance, this time in the form of a barrier that was surrounding the Scions form. **"YOUR TACTICS ARE USELESS. ACCEPT THE INEVITABLE."** said Harbinger as its puppet fired another volley of grenades.

Gritting his teeth, Alex shouldered his rifle and drew one of this Paladins in his left hand. **"Like hell I will!" **his omni-tool flared to life as his omni-blade unfolded itself and came into existence.

_**"Cloak Engaged." **_he vanished from sight causing the possessed Scion to shift its glowing eyes in search of its target. **"YOUR TRICKS WILL NOT SAVE YOU."**

The Post-Human reappeared behind the large Husk and drove his hard-light blade into its lower back. Taking his pistol and pressing the barrel into its hump and emptying the thermal clip into it.

(SLOW MOTION!)

Feeling the attack, the possessed Scion swung its cannon arm back in an attempt to strike the nano soldier were he stood.

Alex pulled his omni-blade free and ducked under the attack, the cannon missing his head by very little as he slashed upward with his blade. Carving a deep cut into the synthetics side and splashing black fluid across the ground.

The cannon arm swung back around for another attempt, the Post-Human brought up both arms and blocked the attack. His arms shuttering as he slid back a foot from the momentum from the swing.

_**"Maximum Power." **_Alex shifted his arms and wrapped them around the cannon arm of the possessed Scion. Slamming his right foot down hard on its kneecap and shattering it instantly. Off balance, the large Husk pitched to the side allowing the nano soldier to roll with it. Throwing his large opponent over his shoulder and slamming them on to the ground hard.

For added measure, he twisted the arm to the right hearing the tell tale 'snap' of a dislocated limb.

(SLOW MOTION END)

Harbinger tried to get the large Husk to stand, but found that the damage done to the body was to extensive and was now useless. **"THIS FORM IS WEAK."**

Alex pulled out a grenade and primed it as he stood over the possessed Scions struggling form. **"Assuming that I would go down that easily was Sovereign's mistake as well. Guess you machines are incapable of learning from the mistakes of others." **he crammed the grenade into the creatures mouth and leapt away as it exploded.

The blast tearing the enhanced Husk apart as its limbs turned to ashes. The courtyard was silent once more.

Shaking his arms. Alex waited a moment as the nanites in his system began mending the small fractures in his forearms. The possessed synthetic hit a lot harder than he thought it would, had he been a normal Human it would have shattered both his arms and killed him instantly.

It was a mistake he wouldn't be making again.

_**"Hostiles Inbound."**_ Alex looked off into the colony hearing the sounds of large wings buzzing. More Collectors were closing in.

Not wanting to stick around much longer, the Post-Human headed toward the large door and fired a hacking program from his omni-tool. The holo-lock cycled for a few moments before turning green causing the reinforced doors to open and allowing him passage into the spaceport.

The large open area was surrounded by buildings and had stacks of crates scattered all over the place. At the center of the site was a terminal hub with a satellite array hooked up to it. The GARDIAN defense grid terminal was just a stones throw away.

Taking out his Harrier, Alex moved in slowly while the doors behind him sealed themselves. Finger on the trigger as he made his way toward the control hub.

Halfway to the terminal the sounds of synthetic moans resounded through the spaceport. Two Scions stepped out from around the terminal and lumbered their way forward while Husks began crawling out from in and around buildings.

Two of said synthetics glowed an angry red instead of pale blue like the others.

Wasting no time, the nano soldier took aim and shoot down the first few Husks that got in close. Re-adjusting his aim and shooting one of the Abominations and causing it to explode, sending two nearby Husks to be thrown into nearby crates.

The Scions fired their weapons forcing Alex into cover. He switched to his bow that still had the frag arrow clip in it before moving out of cover and firing one of the last two arrows. The explosive bolt hitting the exposed hump of one of the Scions and blowing it apart and sending the body crashing to the ground lifeless.

Repeating the same action with his last arrow. He ejected the clip from his bow and slipped it on his back as he switched to one of his pistols. **"Prophet, can you patch into the GARDIAN system and get the targeting matrix corrected?" **he asked shooting a Husk in the head as he approached the terminal.

_**"Direct Interface Required to make Connection. Adjustments will take Time to Correct. Control hub will need to be Defended while Corrections are made."**_ said the AI.

Watching the last Abomination detonate. Alex brought up his omni-tool as he started to run the defense systems programming. **"Get it up and running as soon as possible. Then target the Collector's ship. Drive the bastards right off the planet!"**

_**"Connection Established. Estimated Time of Completion: 3 Minutes."**_

_**"Hostiles Incoming." **_

The buzzing that had been heard before got louder as multiple Collectors flew over the walls and landed around the spaceport. Troopers, Drones and Assassins all spreading out among the crates.

Reloading his pistol and drawing the second, Alex tagged all the hostiles on his HUD and prepared himself for a long fight when he heard another set of insect wings.

Another Collector flew over the wall and landed among the newly arrived group. This one was different from the others; a white/grey exoskeleton and carapace with various spikes sticking out of its body and two large horns on the top of its head.

The new Collector held an assault rifle in its hand as it raised the other. Chattering something loudly in its language as it pointed at Alex which made every Collector in the area open fire on his location.

Back pressed to a crate as rounds and particle beams ate away at his cover. Alex leaned out and fired a few shots at the attacking aliens. Managing to take one down before the Assassins created barriers that deflected the other rounds.

Rolling back to safety. The nano soldier holstered his Paladins and drew the Black Widow. Bracing the powerful sniper rifle against the edge of the crate as he looked down the sights. _"It Jane's coming, she better get here soon." _he thought to himself as he pulled the trigger. Reducing a Troopers head to a cloud of blood and carapace shards.

X

**Commander Jane Shepard**

**Horizon - Human Colony**

**October 4, 2185 - 17:03 hours**

The sound of combat got louder the closer the team got to the spaceport. Collector presence also got more heavy the closer they got to the location meaning that they were all heading the same way.

"Whoever is fighting these things must have really pissed them off." said Jacob as he blasted another Drone away with his shotgun.

Jack's biotics flared as she launched a shockwave that sent a group of Husks flying every which way while Garrus backed her up with sniper fire. "These fuckers are starting to _piss_ _me_ off!" she roared blasting a Collector Assassin with a condensed warp attack.

Grunt roared as he grabbed a Drone and slammed it headfirst into a wall, crushing it's skull before spinning around and blasting another with his shotgun at point blank. The young Krogan's armor already singed and dented from the fighting that they had been wading through.

"I am KROGAN!" he bellowed before charging into a group of Troopers.

Jane ejected a spent thermal clip and slammed in a fresh one. Zaeed and Miranda on either side of her engaging more hostiles while Kasumi and Mordin used their various tech attacks to keep their enemies off balance long enough for the others to take them down.

"Collector presense increasing. Most likely targeting defense terminal in spaceport." said the Professor after lighting a Drone up with an incinerate attack.

"Then we better get there and make sure that system is online before they can send more after us and whoever is still fighting them!" Jane called out as they finished off the last of the hostiles and began to move toward the spaceport.

Kasumi de-cloaked in front of the reinforced doors leading to the next area and began making quick work of the lock while everyone else stood on guard for anything else that may come after them. The sounds coming from the other side of the gate making them feel like they were about to enter a warzone.

"Everyone get ready." said the Commander as Kasumi finished with the door. The entrance to the spaceport slid apart and the team got inside quickly.

The sight before them was something they weren't expecting.

Collector forces were all over the place, those that were still alive were firing upon the crates surrounding the defense terminal on the other end of the area. A loud gunshot rang out and the dead of a Drone was blown apart before the body collapsed to the ground.

A familiar suit of black and silver armor stood up, pulling the bolt back on a large sniper rifle to eject a spent thermal clip before re-aiming and firing once more. A fist sized hole being punched through the chest of a Collector Trooper.

With the attacking force now dwindling. The remaining humanoid bugs attacked as one unit. The Collector Captain standing in the back as its forces attempted to overwhelm the individual.

"I think he's going to need a hand." said Jacob ready to charge inward.

Garrus held up his hand stopping everyone. Jane was motionless as her jade green eyes remained locked on the familiar suit. "I think he's got this." the Turian said with a smirk.

X

Alex dropped his sniper rifle and pulled out his bow. Firing an arrow right into the throat of a Drone that had stood out of cover. _**"Maximum Armor." **_Rounds peppered his back as two more Troopers tried to take him down. Two more bolts were fired in quick succession and both went down with one of their four eyes pierced.

A Husk charged out from between a couple of buildings straight for the nano soldier. But he saw the attack coming, spinning around to grab the synthetic zombie by the throat and throw it into a nearby crate with a sickening 'crunch'.

**"ASSUMING DIRECT CONTROL!"** one of the Troopers burst with energy and leered at him with glowing eyes. **"YOU WILL FEEL THIS."** said Harbinger firing a blast of what looked like dark energy merged with fire at the Post-Human.

Dropping behind an empty crate as the attack slammed against the other side. Alex stood up and quickly took stock of what his opposition was.

Aside from the possessed Trooper and the Captain, there were only four Drones and another Trooper remaining. The timer on his HUD marking how long before the GARDIAN systems came online read _0:59_. He just needed to hold out a little longer.

_**"Maximum Power."**_ Standing, the nano soldier grabbed the edge of the crate and throw it at the Collectors. Not prepared for the sudden attack, two of the Drones were crushed to death when the crate hit the ground. The Trooper's leg was crushed causing it to let out agonized trilling noises as it tried to pull its damaged limb free.

It was silence quickly with an arrow through the head.

Alex was running right behind the crate after it was thrown. Firing an arrow into the carapace of one of the remaining Drones before sliding across the ground on his knees past two other crates where the remaining Collector was hiding, spinning around at the last minute and putting the bolt through its lower back and putting it down.

With only Harbingers puppet and the Captain still standing, the Post-Human switched to his assault rifle and emptied the whole thermal clip into the possessed Troopers barrier.

The barrier went down in seconds, but the puppet fired another blast of energy that Alex avoided before firing an incinerate from his omni-tool that lit its exoskeleton ablaze.

**"THIS IS FAR FROM OVER."** Harbinger said as its puppet was reduced to ashes.

_**"Proximity Alert."**_ Alex ducked down as a blade sliced into the crate he had stood next to.

Spinning around, the nano soldier drew the string back with the last arrow in the clip at the Collector Captain. A meter long blade made of sharpened exoskeleton extended out of its right forearm and held it in a ready position as it's for eyes locked on the one before it.

Lowering the bow, Alex folded it up and slipped it on to his back before extending his omni-blade. Giving the 'come on motion' as the Captain chattered something in return.

The two flew at each other, the Captain literally with its wings fully extended, as their blades slammed together sending out sparks. Alex's fist swung out and struck the side of the Captain's carapace and knocking it back a step.

In retaliation, the Collector slashed with the claws on its opposite hands. Managing to get the Post-Human on the chest and putting long scrapes along the suits weave before lashing out with its blade.

Perrying the blow with his omni-blade, he drew his combat knife in his other hand as he attacked with renewed vigor. Both blades flashing through the air as the Captain used its own blade and its left forearm to block Alex's arm before the knife could make contact.

They jumped apart, the Collector Captain bringing out its wings and zooming toward the nano soldier with its blade cocked back to run him through the middle.

Alex waited for the right moment before side stepping the attack, grabbing the extended arm and ramming it into the crate off to the side and burrowing the organic blade into the metal. Now vulnerable, he slammed his knee into the Collectors stomach then followed up with a thunderous right cross to the side of its head. Hearing a satisfying crack as his strength damaged the Captain's carapace.

_**"Maximum Power."**_ the Post-Human brought his arm up and brought it down hard on the organic blade. The exoskeleton was nowhere strong enough to hold up to the enhanced strength and shattered on contact.

Before the Captain had a chance to register pain, it found itself in Alex's grasp as he hoisted it off the ground by the neck. **"Game over you bug bastard!"** he roared before choke-slamming the Collector hard on the ground.

On its back, the Collector trilled feebly as its body lay broken from the impact. The nano soldier stood over it, drawing one of his Paladins and aiming at its head. Crimson visor locking with two sets of yellow eyes as he pulled the trigger.

The Captain collapsed dead with a whole through one of its eye sockets.

Alex breathed out slowly just as the sounds of the GARDIAN turrets coming online resounded around the spaceport and colony. _**"GARDIAN Defense System: Online. Targeting Sequence In Progress."**_

The turrets rotated until they were all locked on to the Collector Cruiser just outside the colony. _**"Target Acquired. Firing." **_The guns charged before letting loose a salvo of energized rounds that began to pepper the outside hull of the enemy ship.

From the ground, the nano soldier watched the outer hull of the ship being struck with a sense of satisfaction. _"That was for you, Jane."_ he couldn't help but think.

_**"Proximity Alert." **_

Alex spun around, pistol up causing the group that had approached from behind to freeze in mid-step. His hard gaze looking over each person before him and recognizing each of them almost instantly.

But it was the jade green eyes of the woman leading them that made his breath still in his chest.

She looked exactly the way she did when he last saw her. The only visible differences where the lack of the scar under her eye and he red hair being a little longer than he recalled. A small number of orange glowing scars on her cheeks and forehead looked to be healing quickly but didn't take away how beautiful the woman truly was.

His heart, which had felt so empty for the last two years suddenly started feeling warm again as he lowered the pistol. Tears in his eyes hidden behind his visor threatening to fall as he saw tears at the edge of her own. A smile tugging at her lips as her gaze locked with his through the nano suits layer.

**"...Jane?"**

_**A/N: I know you all were expecting the reunion to be in this chapter, but it'll be taking up it's own as the Horizon mission comes to a close. And believe me, it is long overdue. B**__**ut my fellow gamers already know that this mission ain't over yet. There are still a few loose ends to tie up and one final fight to be done before all the real fluff can happen between Shepard and Alex. **_

_**And everything will come together and be answered next time, so keep your eyes open for my update. Cause I'm intending on getting it out as quickly as I can. **_


	14. Reunion

_**A/N: ...You know, dealing with the court system is like pulling fucking teeth. The lawyer hired to represent me and my friend in our case says that we're pretty much fighting a battle we've already one. But the asshole's lawyer keeps trying to low ball us in terms of settlements. So we gave those two an ultimatum. **_

_**Cover our medical payments, damages to the car, and lost wages since I'm out of work for the next couple months along with emotional damages...or he'll be living in a cardboard box before the start of the school year. Needless to say the chances of them caving and giving us what we're asking for is a damn safe bet.**_

_**Thought I'd keep you guys updated on what's been happening on my end. As for the chapter, it took a little bit of extensive planning but it was worth it. There will be action, comedy, and a whole lotta fluff happening, but it's all needed for the sake of the story. Because for christ sake the end of Horizon was almost as bad to watch as the ending to the series...**_

_**...okay, maybe not that bad. But still.**_

_**(I own nothing)**_

A million thoughts and emotions passed through the minds of Alex Drake and Jane Shepard. Seeing each other after everything that had happened to them was both amazing...and terrifying.

Their last moment together was in the cold darkness of space when the Collectors attacked. The trauma from that incident alone had left a bad scar on each of them. But it was so much more than that.

Where one only felt that it had only been a few weeks since they were last together. It was two years for the other. Alex carried on the burden of her death ever since, using his rage and depression as a weapon against his enemies and paving a path that would help them fight the Reapers.

For Jane, the shock of waking up and finding that two years had passed still had yet to wear off. She'd missed so much, everyone she was close to was scattered to the four corners of the traverse. The man she had fallen for black listed and forced into the Terminus all the while keeping the threat of the Reapers alive the best he could.

The moment she woke up, the nano soldier was on her mind. Everything they shared together when they were going after Saren. He was the only that got through to her on a level that not many have ever been able to do.

She loved this man with everything she was. It terrified her at first, but accepted it as much as they had accepted each other. But now that fear was back in force.

Seeing him decimate Collector forces showed her he was just as effective in combat as ever. Though that wasn't what she was interested in at the moment.

The Commander took a few slow steps forward, he team watching her carefully as she approached the Post-Human. Miranda went to intercept, but a clawed talon grabbed her arm and kept her where she was. "Don't." Garrus hissed in her ear. A clear warning of what would happen if she didn't heed it.

Now standing two feet away from one another, Jane looked up into the crimson visor. Her heart hammering inside her chest as she searched for what to say. What could you say to someone after so much time has passed.

"Alex, I...it's good to see you're okay. When I heard about what happened I-" she stopped when a gloved hand gently touched the side of her face. Cupping her cheek with a thumb carefully rubbing over a small healing scar from her resurrection.

Alex was silent. His mind a maelstrom of emotions as he looked at her. Removing his hand, he reached up and pulled his helmet off, not caring that the people in her group could see his face. He was beyond caring as long as he could look at her with his own eyes unhindered.

Jane looked up into the eyes she had missed ever since waking up. Their liquid metal color which filled her every dream since they had met looked as good as ever. But she could see more, a hidden pain that made her heart twinge in agony.

She could tell that her death hit him the hardest. Everyone had told her as such, but seeing it filled her with so much guilt she had a little trouble breathing.

Seeing the inner struggle within the woman before him. Alex reached up and cupped her face with both hands, mentally cursing the fact that he couldn't feel her skin with his own. He leaned down and pressed his forehead to hers. An intimate moment for the two of them that even a blind man could have noticed.

Everything around them faded out. The sounds of the GARDIAN turrets firing on the Collector Criuser nothing more than background noise to the couple that had finally found each other again.

"I prayed..." the nano soldier whispered as tears gathered in his eyes. "For two years...I nearly lost hope. But when I heard the rumors that you were back..." a smile stretched across his face. "Jane...I-"

The heartfelt scene was interrupted by a loud, mechanical shriek echoed through the spaceport. Everyone had their weapons ready in moments, "What the bloody hell was that?" asked Zaeed.

Alex spun around, his once gentle eyes now hardened to a steel-grey as he searched for whatever made the noise. "We got company coming." he said pulling his helmet back on and drawing his assault rifle.

Another shriek bellowed out as a large form came up over the wall on the West side of the spaceport. The creature looked like a large metal crab made of cybernetics, energy crackling around its body as its mouth opened revealing the heads of dozens of Husks within.

Everyone gathered spread out as the creature screeched as its long legs folded inward allowing it to hover above the ground and head right for them.

Jane and Alex's rifles registered, followed quickly by everyone else as they peppered the large synthetics armored hide. But the Praetorian just kept hovering, completely oblivious to the attacks hitting it.

Dumping a thermal clip and slamming in a fresh one, Alex looked up at the creature as its eyes began to glow. He tackled Jane to the ground as the Praetorian fired two powerful particle beams from its eyes. Burning the ground where the two of them had stood and turning it black with glowing embers.

Pulling his bow out and unfolding it, the Post-Human pulled the last arrow in the clip back and fired. The bolt delivering a direct hit on one of the Praetorian's eyes and shattering it, causing the synthetic to let out a loud shriek as white fluid leaked from its damaged socket.

Jane swapped her assault rifle for the grenade launcher in the center of her back and fired several explosives at the creature. Each blast damaged its hardened armor, the rest of the team continued shooting, those with biotics throwing various attacks to try and cause maximum damage.

The Praetorian shuttered from the continued assault, its form drifting higher into the air as power began to gather around it's form

**"Get Down!"** Alex shouted grabbing Jane's shoulder and leaping into cover as the large synthetic glowed with energy coursing over it before dropping to the ground sending out shockwaves that sent several crates hurdling in all directions.

The team kept their heads down as the debris flew over them, slamming into buildings and other crates around them. Grunt hadn't managed to get to cover in time and was thrown to the side, dropping his Evicerator shotgun in the process. The Praetorian's body became charged from the energy output and erected a barrier around itself as it leapt back into the air.

Everyone resumed firing on the synthetic, rounds and biotics slamming against the newly formed barrier as its eyes began to glow again before firing its particle beams. Crates and machinery around the space port were blown apart on contact while the ten fighters all scattered out of the way from the attack.

Seeing that things would degrade quickly, Alex pulled out a new arrow clip and slammed it into his bow. The arrow quickly dispensed into place as he pulled it back and took aim. Waiting for the right moment before he would fire.

Jane watched him out of the corner of her eye and knew what he had planned. Putting a new bandolier of grenades into her launcher, she joined the others in attacking the Praetorian's barrier. Under the continued barrage it quickly fell leaving the large synthetic vulnerable once more as its armor was hammered on from the various attacks thrown at it.

With the opportunity open, the nano soldier let the arrow fly. Burying itself into one of the Husk skulls in the creature's mouth. A second arrow soon followed attaching itself to the top of the Praetorian's head. The last one went into the already damaged eye socket next to the regular arrow that had struck it before.

All three arrows in place, Alex pressed the detonator on the handle of his bow. All three HE-arrows exploded with tremendous force. The Praetorian had large holes blown into its frame, it shrieked as it fell to the ground hard. It's already crippled form crunching inward on impact as the lights in its remaining eye and cybernetics flickered.

The Post-Human lowered his bow, folding it up and putting it on his back as he approached the downed creature. Scooping up Grunt's dropped shotgun and pressing it to the still active eye.

Two thunderous blasts echoed and were swallowed by the sound of the GARDIAN turrets that continued their attack on the Collector ship. **"That's for spoiling our moment."**he growled lowering the still smoking barrel as the cybernetics within the Praetorian finally died.

X

In the distance, the Collector Cruisers hull began to rotate and shift on itself. Engines kicking on as the thrusters fired at full power as it began to take off from Horizon's surface.

Dirt and dust kicked up from the sudden burst causing everyone that was outside to over themselves. "They're pulling out!" Jane shouted over the small storm as she covered her eyes with her arm.

Alex watched as the large ship rose from the ground and went higher and higher, unaffected by the small dust storm from being inside the nano suit. His eyes locked on the slightly damaged hull as the Cruiser became nothing more than a speck in the sky. _"Next time."_ he thought clenching the fist that wasn't holding the shotgun.

"How many colonists do you think they took?" asked Kasumi as they all stood together.

"Only a few." everyone turned to see Ashley approach them, five Alliance Marines behind her as they entered the spaceport seeing the coast was clear.

The Gunnery Chief's gaze turned to Jane as a small smile appeared on her face. She stepped forward and held out her hand. "I thought you were dead, Commander. We all did." she said as Jane shook the offered hand.

"It's good to see you, Ash. You don't sound too happy." said the Commander hearing the slight tone in her voice.

Ashley looked from Jane to Alex. The nano soldier looked back at her through his visor. She had read all of the data that he had given to her regarding Shepard and what had happened to her. He wasn't bullshitting when he said that Cerberus had brought her back from the afterlife.

It put her thoughts at rest somewhat, but it was the message that he left her at the end of the data that really laid it out for her.

_Flashback_

_Ashley took in a shuttered breath after everything she had just read. Hands clasped together as she prayed. _

_It wasn't right...what Cerberus had done went against the laws of nature. Shepard deserved to be at rest after everything she had done for the galaxy. Everyone missed her, that was obvious, but taking her remains and reanimating her? She couldn't even believe that such a thing was possible._

_Raising her head and looking at her omni-tool again, she saw a file attached to the data packet. Curious, she pressed it as Alex's helmeted head appeared on the screen._

_**"Ash, I know that after everything you've read your minds probably trying to understand it all. I can't blame you for that. But there is so much more that you need to know right now."**_ he said in his filtered voice.

_**"Cerberus may have brought her back to us, they may have given her a new ship, resources, and intel to take on the Collectors. But she has **_**NOT**_** turned her back on the Alliance and what we fought for two years ago."**_

_**"If you know her as well as I do, she'd never trust these bastards no matter what they've done for her. And they **_**WILL**_** betray her and those she's gathering for her side when they are no longer useful. She needs people that she can trust on her side, and from what I could gather through mine and Liara's new information network she has Joker, Dr. Chakwas...and Garrus with her."**_

_The mentioning of the Turian she had started a relationship back then startled her. They had been sending messages back and forth since she went back on active duty, he told her that he had quit C-Sec and was out in the Traverse doing god only knew what. He had been very vague in what he was doing exactly, but managed to vid-chat with her at least twice a week._

_Though that all came to an abrupt stop almost two weeks ago and she had been worried since. Now she knew why he hasn't been talking to her._

_**"Believe me Ash. Jane and Garrus both would have spoken to you right off the bat. But The Illusive Man has bugs all over the ship they are on, and their incoming and outgoing messages are also being monitored. It wouldn't have been safe for them to try and contact anyone from the old crew with that much heat on them."**__ said Alex. _

_**"I know you're angry. You have every right to be. But Jane...she may be up and about fighting the Collectors, but she's in a fragile state. It's been two years for us, but to her it's only been a few weeks. I'm asking you, Ashley, as a friend. Please...Please don't let your hatred of Cerberus effect you when you see her. Like I said, she needs us now to help her through this."**_

_**"I'm leaving you this so that you know the truth about what's happened. And to tell you that I will be joining her against the Collectors and I intend to tear Cerberus apart from the inside out. What you do with this data is up to you, I've already sent something similar to Kaidan not too long ago so that everyone is in the loop."**_

_He was silent a second before continuing, __**"It's been a long two years, Ash. For all of us. But for me, knowing that she's alive again gives me a hope that died when the **_**Normandy**_** went down. Everyone on the crew knew how close the two of us were, and I intend on making sure that she survives no matter the cost."**_

_**"I hope this helps you and ease your mind, even just a little."**__ the message ended leaving a blank screen._

_The Gunnery Chief stared at the holo-screen for a few moments before shutting down her omni-tool and resting her head against the wall as she started thinking about what course of action to take._

_Flashback End_

_"I hope to god you're right about this, Alex."_ Ashley thought. The nano soldier nodded his head as if being able to read her thoughts as she turned back to the Commander. "It's...been a very long time, Skipper. We all believed that you were dead." she said a little uneasy.

Jane closed her eyes and sighed, "I know, Ash. I was in some kind of coma all this time. Cerberus has spent the last couple years rebuilding me after the _Normandy_ was destroyed." she admitted.

**"We know, Jane." **said Alex tossing the shotgun he was holding back to Grunt who caught it effortlessly as he walked up to her and rested a hand gently on her shoulder. **"There have been rumors spreading across the galaxy that you're with Cerberus now."**

Shocked green eyes looked up at him, "I not with them. We just want the same thing; to save colonies and end the Collectors." she said defending herself.

**"We know."** Alex said. **"I've spent my time in the Terminus tracking the Collectors and keeping tabs on Cerberus activity. And honestly, the idea of you joining these terrorist assholes is as likely as the Reapers being just cockroaches."**

"How are you tracking us?" asked Miranda cutting in.

The Post-Human turned his head slowly in her direction and the woman felt her insides freeze a little remembering what had happened the last time she was in this man's presence. **"Let's just say that I have my connections. By the way, Ms. Lawson, how many of your operatives did I kill in the last two years? I lost count around 60."**

Seeing Miranda pale and Jacob shift uneasily from foot to foot, Jane looked at her lover with a raised eyebrow. "Why have you been killing off Cerberus?"

**"I got long list of intel that directed me to several facilities that were apart of illegal experimentation. Some where on aliens, others were on fellow Humans. I freed the ones being held and made sure that the people responsible never saw the light of day again."** Alex looked down at the Commander and was lost in her gaze a moment before continuing. **"I only took out the ones that were guilty, there were several that didn't know what was going on and I let them go with the ones I freed."**

Jane smiled, glad to see that his compassionate nature was still there even after all this time. Remembering the matter at hand, she turned back to Ashley. "How many people were taken?"

The Gunnery Chief sighed, "It's hard to tell. A couple dozen are reported missing but we still need to take account who is still here before making the list of those that were taken. If Alex here hadn't arrived and warned us...things could have been a lot worse."

"Agreed." said Garrus stepping forward. Ashley looked up at the Turian and gave him a dirty look. The ex-cop twitched his mandibles with unease, "Uh...hay Ash. Sorry about not calling I-" He was cut off when the tan-skinned woman stepped in front of him and looked him over.

"What happened to you?" she asked gently stroking the bandaged side of his face.

Garrus fought down a purr feeling her fingers touching his almost healed mandible. "It was...let's just say I was caught off guard." he said trying to be as calm as possible.

"He means he had his bloody face blown apart by a rocket fighting mercs on Omega." said Zaeed taking out a cigarette and lighting it.

Ashley's eyes shot open wide and stopped moving, "W-What? What the hell is he talking about Garrus?" she asked. The Turian didn't answer and the woman felt her face burn with anger, "THAT'S WHERE YOU'VE BEEN ALL THIS TIME! ON OMEGA FIGHTING MERCS!"

"Ash it's not-" Garrus couldn't finish as the Marine grabbed the front of his armor and began dragging him off. "SHUT UP! YOU AND I ARE GONNA HAVE A LONG FUCKING TALK VAKARIAN!" she roared pulling him toward the spaceport entrance.

"Shepard! Alex! A little help here!" Garrus called back as the smaller Human woman continued to drag him around.

**"You're on your own Garrus!" **Alex called back before turning his attention back to Jane who was looking back at him with a serious expression. Reaching out and placing a hand on her armorer hip, he pulled her closer until he wrapped both arms around her. "I've missed you." he said un-filtering his voice and holding her tightly.

Tears fell from the Commanders eyes as she clung to the nano soldier, "I've missed you too." They stepped back from each other, but remained within arms reach. "Do you have time to talk?" she asked.

Alex smiled behind his visor, "I've waited two years Jane. No time is more valuable than what I can spend with you right now."

Jane felt as though her heart just got a jump start. Her smile was so wide and bright that it was almost infectious. "We can head up to my cabin on the new _Normandy_. I...think we have a lot of catching up to do."

"Shepard, I don't think we have the time to-" Miranda was cut off from the cold leer Jane was sending her way.

"I'll take your thoughts under advisement, _Lawson_." she said stiffly. "But you forget who is in charge. So I suggest you remember that."

The team had never seen her like this before, it was a little shocking to see her go from being that happy to deadly in seconds.

"Bout time the Cheerleader was put in her place." said Jack crossing her arms over her chest.

Grunt observed what was happening, "Do all Humans react like this to their mates?" he asked trying to understand.

Kasumi patted the Krogan's shoulder, "Only when they haven't seen each other in so long big guy.". She recognized love when she saw it, and couldn't help but want to know every detail about what was going on between the two.

X

**Alexander 'Maverick' Drake**

_**Normandy SR-2**_** - Captain's Cabin**

**October 4, 2185 - 18:19 hours**

Being aboard the new _Normandy_ brought back a lot of memories of the original. The differences being the overall size being much larger inside and out and the nearly all Cerberus crew.

But Alex took it all in stride, seeing Joker again had lifted the pilot's spirits seeing a familiar face. Or in the helmsmen's words, 'a familiar walking death machine'.

The two exchanged pleasantries for a few minutes before the nano soldier was given a tour of the vessel. Seeing all the new upgrades that made the old _Normandy_ look like second rate. Jane showed him everything, even taking him down to see Dr. Chakwas who was just as happy to see him as Joker was.

Of course the older woman asked him how he had taken care of himself all these years. Alex just laughed, something he had rarely done lately, as he told her that he was in good health and had been taking care of himself.

After almost an hour, the tour ended at Jane's cabin which was just as grand as he expected it to be. The large glowing fish tank that made up the left wall held several schools of fish swimming peacefully around giving the bedroom on the lower half of the cabin a calming aura.

The glass wall that separated the office area and the living space already had a few models put together that were on display. Alex recognized the old _Normandy_ and the new one above it with a Turian Cruiser right next to them.

"A hobby I picked up recently." said Jane going down the steps into the living space. "Been having trouble sleeping since I 'woke up', had to take my mind off everything somehow." she admitted.

**"I know the feeling."** said the nano soldier remembering all the nights sleep that eluded him since the attack.

The Commander activated her omni-tool and pressed a few keys as a light blue field shot from the device and encompassed the room in seconds.

_**"EMP Pulse Detected."**_ said Prophet as Alex heard the sounds of multiple electric devices shorting out all around the cabin. Reaching up he pulled his helmet off as he looked around. "Wiping out listening devices?" he asked raising a knowing eyebrow at her.

"I learned from someone special." said Jane crossing her arms and cocking her hip to the side. "Last thing I want are these Cerberus assholes watching me sleep."

The Post-Human felt a sliver of rage go through him that he crushed down fast. "The place is really nice." he said stepping toward the couch and setting his helmet down on the coffee table. "Good to see Cerberus is flipping the bill for this mission." he turned around and saw his lover standing right there.

Green eyes looking up into his as the air around them seemed to shift.

"Alex...I...I don't even know where to start." she said before looking away and sitting down on the couch. "When they told me that I'd been dead for two years...I thought it was some kind of sick joke. But...when I saw how much things have changed there was just no more avoiding it."

Her voice was even, but Alex could pick up the subtle cracks every now and again. He sat down next to her and held her hand in his own. The gesture alone brought the Commander comfort that she had also missed.

"The others filled me in. Joker, Karin, Garrus and Anderson I mean." she went on. "They told me about what happened after the _Normandy_ was destroyed." her gaze met his again, "Alex, why? Why did you destroy your good name as Maverick?"

The nano soldier gathered his thoughts a moment. "They were using your death to hide the Reaper's existence. I wasn't going to take that sitting down after everything we fought for. I had a feeling the Council would have tried something like that eventually, so I created a contingency plan that would ensure that the threat of the Reapers stayed alive."

"I gave up my Spectre status before initiating it. Every member on the Council save for Anderson was implicated in the coverup and they were impeached. Now a new Council is running the show and every race in the galaxy knows about what the Reapers are capable of."

Jane's eyes shined with several emotions, Alex smiled as he held her face. "If giving up my good name is worth making sure that we have a fighting chance when hell comes knocking at our door...then it's a price worth paying. Even as a wanted man, I'll keep doing what is right."

He felt her hand grip his. "What...have you been doing since then?" she asked hesitantly.

It was a loaded question. They both knew that, so the nano soldier picked gently around it. "Been doing my part here in the Terminus. Taking out slavers and other rogue factions that have been causing problems out here. As well as a few odd jobs for the Alliance since I'm still on good terms with Hackett and Anderson."

Jane nodded, but her eyes were downcast. "I'm sorry." she said before a hand on her chin made her look up into steel-colored orbs. "Dont. You. Dare. Jane, none of this is your fault. The only ones to blame for everything is the Collectors. They threw the first punch, now it's time to curb stomp them for what they've done." Alex said sternly.

Startled at first, the Commander smiled as she stroked his face. The five o'clock shadow he had allow to grow in giving him a more rugged look compared to the last time she saw him. He looked good.

It was then she remembered something and the smile slipped from her face. The sudden change made the nano soldier tilt his head. "Jane?"

Getting up from the couch, the Commander walked over the the fish tank and faced it, her arms crossed over her midsection as she looked sightless into the glass. "It's been two years, Alex. So much has changed...everyone has moved on since I...died."

Alex knew where this was going and was on his feet. "Jane-"

"No, let me finish." said the Commander biting her lip to avoid her emotions from getting out of control. "I...I can understand how long it's been. I can't blame you for...for moving on."

A large pair of arms wrapped around her from behind and pulled her into warm body. Alex rested his chin on top of her head as she settled into his warmth. "I didn't." he whispered.

Jane spun around and look up at him shocked. "W-What?"

"I said I didn't move on." the Post-Human said calmly. He reached into his suit and pulled off a familiar set of dog tags, bringing up her hand and placing them into it. The Commander looked at the tags and could make out her name still visible on the scratched and dented metal.

"I just couldn't." Alex said not taking his eyes off her. "After everything we've been through together, everything we've shared and endured. I just couldn't let you go, it would have felt like a betrayal."

Looking up from the tags, Jane felt tears gathering in her eyes. "...Alex..."

"I don't want anyone else...I never wanted anyone else." said the Post-Human as he felt the emotional barriers he had built over the last couple of years start to crumble. He gave a watery smile, "They say that distance makes the heart grow fonder, and mine has never stopped beating for you. And it's still yours.._._"

The dog tags slipped from Jane's hand as she grabbed Alex's face and crushed their lips together. The nano soldier quickly matching her fierceness as he picked her up off the floor, long legs going around his waist as he pressed her against the fish tank.

The kiss was desperate, but it was the ultimate wake up call for both of them. For Jane it reminded her that she was truly alive again and she was with the one that truly brought out who she was. For Alex, it proved that she was still the same Shepard.

Prophet had scanned her body when he saw her at the spaceport down on Horizon. She was just like him now. A combination of cybernetics and flesh that made her stronger and more durable.

But even though her body had been upgraded, _his Jane_ was still there. Her courage, her charisma, and her heart were all still the same. This alone had him thanking every deity in existence that Cerberus didn't take that away from her when they brought her back.

They separated after almost two minutes, breath panting as they rested their foreheads together. "You know...you sounded like a cheesy romance novel just now." Jane said with a wide grin.

"I'll let you know when I start to care, _darlin_." Alex said with his southern drawl coming out making her blush. "I just hope you're ready, cuz we got two years to make up for." he whispered kissing up the side of her pale neck.

Jane grinned again as she pulled the top of her Cerberus uniform off and gripped his face again. "Then you better _drop and give me 20_, soldier." she said seductively.

He pulled her away from the fish tank and walked toward the bed, "Yes, ma'am." he said laying them both down and pressing his lips to hers. For the first time in a long time, feeling like he could finally breath again.

_**A/N: FINALLY! Alex and Shepard are together again. But with Cerberus personnel all around him and The Illusive Man trying to keep the Commander on a leash, how will out nano soldier break them all free from the terrorist cell's grasp. **_

_**This is Alex Drake we're talking about, so we know he's got something up his sleeve!**_

_**Update coming soon, so keep your eyes open guys.**_


	15. Back on the Normandy

_**A/N: Oooooooooohhhhhhh I'm feeling GOOD today boys and girls! The situation with that asshole that put me in casts is getting resolved, and lets just say that me and my buddy are walking away VERY happy with the settlements we're getting. The SOB had the balls to say he was sorry to us even though he did his damnest to pin it off on us in the beginning. **_

_**I enjoyed telling him to go fuck himself and that he was lucky we didn't die because of his stupidity. **_

_**To celebrate, I'm putting a new chapter out and telling you I'm getting a better laptop to help with my writing from now on when the settlements are all taken care of. So without further delay, here it is! (I own nothing)**_

**Alexander 'Maverick' Drake**

_**Normandy SR-2**_** - Captain's Cabin**

**October 5, 2185 - 08:08 hours**

The atmosphere within the cabin was peaceful. The gentle glow of the fish tank illuminating the darkened room only slightly and the light hum coming from the walls made everything feel more relaxed.

Alex looked up at the view port above the bed, the stars beyond had once been a beautiful sight that he couldn't help but gaze at every once in a while. Now it was nothing more than a reminder of what had taken away the one of the only things in the galaxy that made him feel like he had meaning outside his mission.

He felt the warm, curvy body next to him shift slightly. "Been awake long?" Jane asked running her fingers over his chest. Tracing a few new scars that he had gathered in the last couple years.

"About an hour. How'd you sleep?" Alex asked looking down at her.

The Commander smiled as she looked up at him, "Best sleep I've had since..." she trailed off and the smile faded a little. Alex dipped down and kissed her softly and bringing her out of the slump she was falling into. "It's going to take some time to get used to what's happened around here." she admitted.

The Post-Human nodded as he ran his hand up and down her back, relishing in the feel of her bare skin. "I've got nothing but time, Darlin. And I'll be there with you every step of the way, no matter what." he said honestly.

Jane sat up slowly on her elbow and looked down at him. "Are you saying that-"

"That I'm pretty much asking to join your mission against the Collectors? Yeah, Jane, I am." Alex finished with a grin. "I've been without you for two years. Nothing's keeping me away even if I have to face the Reapers naked."

A smirk crossed the red-heads face. "Then I'd have to obliterate the bastards. Because _I'm_ the only one allowed to see you naked." she said rubbing his chest.

Alex chuckled along with her before they settled down again in each others arms. His mind then started working in overdrive. Things had changed a lot since she had been gone, the only thing that hadn't changed was how much he cared about her.

But there was a whole lot going on that she wasn't aware of, things she needed to know about. The only question that was plaguing him was whether or not he should be dumping so much on her after they had just barely reconciled.

"Alex?" he looked down and saw her jade-green eyes looking back with concern. "What's wrong?" she asked seriously.

The nano soldier shook his head. "Just too many thoughts."

Jane's eyes narrowed, "I may have been out of the loop a while, Alex. But I know when you're hiding something." she stroked the side of his face and made him look at her. "Talk to me. We promised to be open and honest no matter what."

Taking a deep breath, the Post-Human prayed that he wouldn't regret this.

X

For the next hour he told her everything that had happened since he helped take down the old Council. The base he and the others set up, his various 'jobs', finding the location of the Shadow Broker's base and the small war that he and Liara had waged that lead to his fall.

Jane was in shock at hearing that he and Liara had assumed control of the massive information network. Even more so when she was told that it was him that found her remains and tried to sell them to the Collectors had Liara and her friend Ferron had not intervened.

Alex saw the slight hurt and betrayal that crossed her eyes when he told her how he discovered that it was Liara that had given her body to Cerberus for the Lazarus Project. The Post-Human said that he had felt the same way when he found out. (Despite the fact that he had already knew _way_ in advance.) But came to forgive their Asari friend since it had brought her back to them.

It was a long discussion, and more than once Alex thought he was giving away too much. But too much was already being kept from her by the Illusive Man, and she had every right to know what she was happening behind the scenes.

Despite the fact that they were giving her what she needed to fight the Collectors, they were just using it as a way to make themselves look better to the galactic community to gather more support. And if that continued...Alex knew what would happen when the war with the Reapers started.

Jane was sitting up, bed sheet wrapped around her chest as she slowly took in everything that her lover had told her. She knew damn well that Cerberus couldn't be trusted, but hearing that they were using her as a way to make themselves look better was a shot in the arm and made her hatred of them even greater than before. "I can't believe this...I _KNEW_ they haven't changed!" she growled while clenching her fists tight.

A large warm hand gently held on to hers, calming her down easily. "That we can agree on. But right now we have to think about what we're going to do." Alex said seriously. "I have a plan to get Cerberus off our backs, something similar to how I took down the Council for trying to cover up the Reapers. With the Shadow Broker network at our disposal we've got intel on almost every single dirty secret that they've tried to hide...we can make it all public knowledge in a matter of minutes."

The Commander's head snapped up, "Then why haven't you done it already?" she asked incredentiously.

Alex looked into her eyes, "Because the rumors surrounding you working for them makes it not possible. If I drop that bombshell now...you'll become almost as hated as the Illusive Man will be."

Shock went through Jane's system at the full implications of that happening. Everything she had done in her career in the Alliance, her accomplishments, all the things she fought for would be burned almost instantly.

"How..." she swallowed, "How do we do this? This is your plan, Alex."

The nano soldier reached down to where his suit was on the floor and brought up his omni-tool. "We can't do anything right now. Liara believes that Cerberus has a few things on the Collectors that we don't and we'll need it to take them down. As for getting you and the others out of their 'employment', I have a plan for that too."

He grinned at her as he showed her something on the holo-screen on the device. Reading it over, Jane's eyes widened before a similar grin appeared on her face. "Now that is creative...but will it work?"

Alex cocked his head and an eyebrow at her, "Darlin...I took down the most powerful figure heads in the galaxy two years ago. Taking down Cerberus and proving how much they're pieces of shit? It's a _lot_ easier."

"We'll just have to play nice for a little while until we get the data we're looking for. From there we'll get our team together and get them to help us take control of the situation. Liara's already finding people to help be the new crew after we get rid of the Cerberus assholes on board."

"Do you think the rest of the team will be willing to help with this?" asked Jane. "I know that Garrus, Joker and Chakwas will be on board. But what about the others?"

The Post-Human shut down his omni-tool. "You know the best thing about having the largest data cache in existence is? You can find almost anything you're looking for. Let's just say that our friend the Illusive Man effected more lives than you realize."

"I know." said the Commander. "One of my crew had her whole life fucked up by Cerberus."

"You mean Jack, AKA Subject-Zero?" said Alex getting a nod. "I read her files, it's more than fucked up with what they put her through. But it's not just her that's been effected that you're recruiting. Almost everyone your picking up for this suicide mission Cerberus has messed with in some way. And that leverage will help get them on your side when we strike back."

It was then that Jane remembered something, "You do realize that being on this ship puts you in the Illusive Man's sights right?"

Another feral grin crossed the nano soldier's face, "That's exactly what I want. The SOB is too arrogant for his own good. The fact that he has this whole damn ship bugged and is monitoring the messages coming and going from each crew member proves that. And it's that arrogance that will lead to his downfall."

Jane shook her head and smiled, "You really haven't changed, Alex."

The grin slipped off his face and the Post-Human looked solumn. "I'm sorry to say, in some ways I have." he looked at her puzzled expression. "Your death hit us all hard, Jane. But for me...it's haunted me everyday since. Every nightmare was just a repeat of that moment when we were spaced together. Chellick and Reena had me on psych watched when I wasn't paying attention because my personality had taken a...pretty dark turn." he admitted.

Remembering when Alex told her about how he had taken down Tela Vasir when she tried to take him and Chellick out to get Liara's location on Illium. The fact that he was so brutal after the ex-Asari Spectre had bad mouthed her in front of him seemed like strong proof that her death had effected him deeply.

"A lot of the time I lost sight of who I was, it was only when the others cornered me and pointed out what had been happening with me was when I woke up." he pushed on. "I owe them a lot for bringing me out of the hole I was in since the attack."

"They are really good people, Alex." said the Commander. "I'm sorry about Zen."

Alex smiled, "He died the way he wanted, fighting to his last breath like a true Krogan. It was only right that I brought his body back to Tuchanka to be buried. It was the least I could do for him."

The couple was interrupted by loud knocking at the cabin's door. "Commander Shepard?" came a female voice from the other side.

Jane rolled her eyes. "Dammit, it's the Yeoman." she muttered getting up from the bed with the sheet wrapped around her. Alex jumped up as well, pulling on his boxers and following her until they reached the door. The nano soldier moved to the side and press his back to the wall next to the bathroom door as she unlocked the entrance.

The doors slid apart revealing Kelly Chambers looking down at a datapad, when she looked up her face blushed as red as her hair. "OH! God...Commander, I didn't know-I mean I thought that- well..." she stumbled over her words babbling.

Alex bit his lip from his hiding place to avoid laughing at the young woman's expense. "What is it Ms. Chambers?" asked Jane brushing a strand of hair behind her own ear.

Snapping out of her slight trans, the Yeoman shook herself before speaking. "XO Lawson sent me up to check on you. She said that EDI has somehow been blocked from accessing your quarters and wanted to make sure that you were alright."

"Everything is fine." said the Commander evenly. "Tell her that I'll be right down."

The Yeoman nodded, blush still going strong as she turned on her heel and fast walked to the elevator as the cabin doors slid closed and locked again. "That went well." Alex said leaning against the wall smirking.

Jane faced him with her hip cocked, "EDI can't access the room...I wonder how that's possible?" she wondered already knowing what to expect.

"Hmm, it _could be_ that your super-soldier boyfriend had his AI partner project a firewall barrier around the cabin from his suit so that no one could be disturbed." said the Post-Human with a mock thinking pose.

Rolling her eyes, the Commander walked up to him and kissed his cheek. "Guess it's time to face the day." she said heading back down to the living space to gather her clothes. She paused when she spotted something glinting off of the light in the room. Reaching down she picked up her dog tags that she had dropped the night before.

Even after he showed them to her, Jane couldn't believe that he held on to them the entire time since she had given them to him so long ago. To her, it was a symbol that he never gave up on her, even in death, his love never faded. It was the sweetest thing she had ever had the fortune to see and feel.

A large pair of arms wrapped around her from behind and held comfortably. She settled into the warmth of Alex's chest while the tags were gripped in her hand.

"I love you, Jane." he whispered into her ear as he embraced her a little tighter.

A tear slipped down her cheek as she reached her other hand up and cupped his face. "I love you too, Alex."

X

Once they were dressed, the couple rode the elevator down to the crew deck and headed toward the mess hall where a few members of the team was gathered around the biggest table in the room. "Morning everyone." said the Commander sitting down at the head.

Alex sat down next to her, his nano suit on and the same firewall barrier that he had Prophet erect around the cabin was now protecting just the suit itself.

He figured that the at some point, if he managed to get on to the ship, that the Illusive Man would attempt to order EDI to engage cyberwarefare and try to hack the suit. Being one of the reasons why he and Prophet worked together to find a way to fend off any possible hacking attempts.

Thus, the firewall barrier was created. It hardly consumed any energy and was able to block out any form of technological invasion. Alex had initiated it in Jane's cabin after she disabled the listening equipment. Making damn sure that EDI couldn't see or hear anything they were saying or doing and bringing it back to the Illusive Man or Miranda.

It was very useful and effective. After testing it for almost six months with Reena it was ready to use. And until he and Jane took control of the ship he would have to have it on at all times while aboard the _Normandy_ to ensure Cerberus didn't try to get into the nano suits systems.

"Fun night, Shep?" asked Kasumi drinking some tea while trying to hide a knowing smirk.

Jane gave nothing away as she drank her coffee. "No comment, Kasumi."

"That's not what we heard." said Jack with a grin. "Fuck Shepard, anyone who got into the elevator could hear you. Who knew the Queen of the Girlscouts could get so loud." she joked while everyone else was coughing to try and cover their laughter.

That got a response in the form of the Commander blushing as bright as her hair. Alex had his own blush but it was safely hidden under his helmet. They were a bit _loud_ last night, but he didn't think the sound could reach outside the cabin like that.

Everything died down after a moment. Zaeed looked down the table at the nano soldier and grunted, "So, your Maverick eh? Heard a lot of stories about you out here in the Terminus. Gotta say, you live up to the hype."

**"Zaeed Massani, heard a few things about you as well."** Alex said with his voice filtered. **"Co-creator of the Blue Suns. Bounty Hunter. And one pissed off man with a grudge that'll prove to be the end of a lot of people." **

The bounty hunter smirked, "Right on all counts. Saw what you did to the Suns back when they attacked the Citadel. Never thought I'd see one man tear through so many goddamn mercs. But seeing you take the Collectors and that big freak yesterday made it believable."

Grunt snorted, "I don't see what's so special. All you Humans are the same to me."

Alex tilted his head in the young Krogan's direction. Reaching out, he picked up a metal fork off the table and held it up. In front of everyone, he bent the utensil in half with only his middle and forefinger before squeezing it in the palm of his hand.

A second passed, then he dropped the warped piece of metal on to the table now compressed into the size of a marble. **"If you want a spar, **_**whelp**_**, then you better be packing or you'll find yourself like the last Krogan that tried to fuck with me." **said the Post-Human evenly.

"Do we wanna know?" asked Jane looking his way.

**"Let's just say that it's very painful for a Krogan when you cave in their hump after landing on it from a 10 story drop." **Alex said as though he were ordering water.

Grunt regarded the nano soldier with narrow eyes, "Heh, if you think you can take me. I welcome you to try." he said wolfing down the rest of his breakfast. Alex smirked, _"Like a younger Wrex. Guess I'll have to knock him down a few pegs."_

The main battery doors opened and Garrus walked out. Gathering a bit of his own food before sitting with them. "How'd everything go yesterday?" asked the Commander curious after seeing Ashley so pissed off after hearing about what he was up to behind her back.

"I believe the Human expression is, 'she talked my ears off.' Damn she was pissed." said the Turian shaking his head.

**"That's what you get for going out to fight mercs in the asshole of the galaxy without telling you're other half."** the nano soldier said with a shrug. **"What's the damage?" **

Garrus sighed, "After yelling at me for almost an hour, I came clean about everything I had been doing leading up to when Shepard here came and bailed me out. She was happy that I was alive and mostly intact, but said she needed a little time to get over it."

Jane patted his back, "She can't stay mad forever, Garrus. Just give her time. Did she say anything else?"

"She said she was interested in coming with us to go after the Collectors." admitted the Turian. "She hates Cerberus with a passion like the rest of us, but she knows that you could use a few familiar faces to watch your back on this little trip of ours. She just needed to have a few words with Anderson before doing anything."

Alex grinned behind his visor, _"You won't regret this, Ash. Now we just need to hear from Kaidan."_ he thought when he saw the bright smile on Jane's face. _"She needs this. And I'll make sure that all the pieces stay in place."_

"Shepard." Everyone looked up and saw Miranda standing at the other end of the table. Her icy gaze going from the Commander to Alex and back before she spoke again. "The Illusive Man wants to speak to you about what happened on Horizon. He said it's urgent."

Jane's eyes narrowed slightly before she finished off her coffee and stood up, "Then I'll talk to him." she said heading out of the mess hall. Hand discreetly running along Alex's shoulders on her way out.

The Post-Human felt her touch, but kept his gaze on the XO at the end of the table. The ones sitting could feel the tension and didn't want to be in the middle of what was going to happen as they left to go about their business.

Garrus having to drag Jack off since she wanted to see the Cheerleader get crushed by the 'big fucking guy'.

Now alone, the two glared at each other with nearly equal intensity. Alex could see the hints of fear buried under the distrust in the 'perfect woman's' look. **"Something you wanna say, Lawson?"** he asked bluntly.

"You shouldn't be here." Miranda said stiffly. "After the actions you've taken against Cerberus, your more of a risk than an asset.

A chuckle broke through the Post-Human's lips. **"**_**I**_** don't belong here? Look whose talking. In all honestly, I think you got balls coming up to me like this after the last time you and I met." **he tilted his head, **"Or did you forget how I wiped out that entire squad that was with you and knocked your ass out without hardly lifting a finger?"**

The woman stood her ground, crossing her arms over her chest. "I haven't forgotten, Maverick. Not. At. All." she ground out. "But this is a _Cerberus_ vessel. Our rules apply here, and if you think you'll be a part of this crew, then your dead wrong."

**"That so?"** Alex asked standing up slowly and coming around the table. **"Cuz, the last time I checked, this is **_**Shepard's**_** ship. **_**Shepard's**_** crew. And **_**Shepard's**_** mission. You're just the **_**Executive Officer**_**, meaning you just sit in your comfy office filing reports and reporting everything that happens to your boss like a good little bitch."**

Now standing in front of the infuriated woman, the nano soldier leered down at her. **"You have no real power here. Old Mr. Harper gave full control of the mission to Jane, all you do is follow orders like everyone else and offer 'advice' where it **_**could**_** be needed. You may have helped bring her back, but she trusts you about as far as she can throw you." **

Miranda gritted her teeth in frustration. "The Commander can't be swayed away from the mission. It's too important for her to be distracted right now, and you are a very big distraction."

The next moment, the Cerberus operative found herself against the wall with a large arm across her throat. Memories of the last time she was in this position flashed through her mind as she looked up at her reflection in the crimson visor. **"You know...when you talk like that, it makes it sound like your trying to control her." **Alex hissed darkly.

**"Constantly putting surveillance equipment in her room. Monitoring her incoming and outgoing messages. Having your little **_**spy**_** Kelly Chambers pick her brain every so often to make sure its to **_**your**_** satisfaction. And speaking of which..."** he leaned in close and whispered. **"Does she know about the Control Chip?"**

All of the color drained from Miranda's face, her heart nearly stopping hearing the words spoken from the one before her.

Leaning back, the nano soldier kept his grip strong. **"I know everything about Project Lazarus. And how the Illusive Man shot down your idea to implant her so that she could be controlled better. The fact that you would even think of doing that to her makes...me...**_**angry**_**."**

His knife was pulled out and burrowed into the wall not an inch away from her head. The blade dangerously close to slicing open her cheek. **"Listen good, Lawson. Because I'm only going to say it once. Back. The Fuck. Off. If I find one more listening device in her room. If I find out your still checking her messages. If any of the people here on this ship that isn't a friend tries to get information out of her. I'm coming for you."**

Pulling the knife free, he dropped her to the floor clutching her throat as he sheathed it. **"She knows what you've been doing. Jane's not stupid. But it's not her you gotta worry about."** He knelt down and got in her face. **"I can kill you right now and not even bat an eyelash. Be thankful that I haven't. Any of these other Cerberus fuckers try anything they'll meet much worse."**

Standing back up, Alex headed for the exit. **"I rarely give second chances. And you're on the fast track of blowing yours." **he said over his shoulder as he got into the elevator.

Miranda staggered to her feet, heart rate calming after what had happened. Maverick was a very dangerous individual. She knew this even before he went after Saren with Shepard. She just hopped that the Illusive Man was right believing that the Commander was the key to getting him to follow their lead.

X

In the comm room, Jane stood on the QEC pad as the hologram projection kicked on. Within a moment she was standing in the Illusive Man's large office as the man himself sat in his chair smoking. "Shepard. Good work on Horizon. Hopefully the Collectors will think twice before attacking another colony." he said flicking ashes off of the cancer stick.

The Commander crossed her arms over her chest, "It was a good victory, but they still made off with a few people." she said thinking about the small few that were still abducted.

"That's better than the entire colony, and far more than we've accomplished since the abductions began." said the Cerberus leader. "The Collectors will be more careful now, but I think we can find another way to lure them in."

That didn't settle well with her, Alex's earlier words came back to mind but she kept a calm demeanor as she tried another tactic. "Down on Horizon, I heard that there have been rumors floating around about me and Cerberus. Was that you?"

The Illusive Man took a drag on his cigarette, "I may have let it slip that you were alive. And with Cerberus."

Hearing that made red tint Jane's vision, "You endangered the lives of my friends, my crew, and that colony just to lure those bastards in?" she hissed anger.

"A calculated risk. I suspected the Collectors were looking for you, or people connected to you. Now I know for certain." The Illusive Man said acting as though nothing wrong had been done. "I told you I wouldn't sit and wait while the Reapers and Collectors gather strength. Besides, they would've hit another colony eventually. And without a way to predict which one, they would've abducted everyone."

Fists shaking at her sides, Jane breathed deeply to settle her frustration. "We have to make sure that they don't abduct anyone else." she said evenly.

"I want the Collectors stopped for that very same reason. That's why we're doing this, Shepard." said the tycoon. "I'm devoting all resources to finding a way through the Omega 4 relay. We have to hit them where they live."

_"Liara believes that Cerberus has a few things on the Collectors that we don't and we'll need it to take them down."_ Alex's words came back to the Commander and she realized how right he was. They would have to play by the Illusive Man's games before he could execute what he had planned.

"Your team will need to be strong, as will there resolve. There is no going back." the Illusive Man went on. "The same goes for you. Can I assume you've put your past relationships behind you?"

The Commander bristled, "That's none of your damn business." she said darkly.

Knocking more ashes into the tray, the man's glowing blue eyes looked back at her. "If it affects the mission, better you leave it behind. Then again...it seems your past has found itself on to the _Normandy_."

The tension was thick. "I've received reports that Maverick is on board. Can I assume that you've recruited him for this mission?" he asked.

"He chose to help us on Horizon, because of him more people were saved." said Jane. "As for the mission, he asked to join. And I could use his help on this."

Taking another long drag, the Illusive Man just stared at her a few moments before speaking. "Very well, I hope you know what you're getting yourself into with him, Shepard. He's done his part to slaughter countless Cerberus personnel in the last few years and destroyed several facilities. His belief in our intentions has never been good. Keep a close eye on him."

_"Oh I intend to." _she thought while fighting back a grin.

"Once we find a way through the Omega 4 relay to the Collector homeworld, there's no guarantee you'll return." said the Cerberus Leader. "To have any hope of surviving, you and your entire team must be fully committed to this."

"I'll worry about the crew. You just find us a way to the Collector's front door." replied the Commander.

Nodding, the Illusive Man taped a few keys on his chair. "I've forwarded three more dossiers. Keep building your team while I find a way through the relay. And be careful, Shepard. The Collectors will be watching you." he said just before the link was cut.

As the lights came on and the conference table rose from the floor, Jane shook her head before heading out of the room.

X

**Alexander 'Maverick' Drake**

_**Normandy SR-2**_** - Cargo Hold**

**October 5, 2185 - 12:32 hours**

Alex stood relaxed at the end of the cargo area of the ship as the main hatch opened. A kinetic barrier erecting to block out the vacuum of space while at the same time showing the planet Horizon shining in the light of the nearby star.

Garrus and Jane stood on either side of him as they waited. A form approached the opening and came into the cargo hold. A familiar black shuttle that could have only belonged to the nano soldier in the room.

"I gotta say, it's an impressive shuttle." said the Turian as he looked the _Wraith _over with calculating eyes.

**"Took me months to combine the nano suits unique cloaking ability with it. Along with adapting a strong weapons system and FTL drive. It's definitely a good piece of hardware to have, especially with the jobs I've had to do."** said the nano soldier.

"A side project in your spare time?" asked the Commander.

**"Among other things. I'll show you what else I've been up to at some point." **came the reply.

The _Wraith_ touched down on to the deck, troop hatch opening as a certain Gunnery Chief in full armor stepped off with a ruck sack over her shoulder. "Thanks for letting me use the shuttle." she said approaching them. "The Alliance is sending a small recon squad to check on the colony. With the GARDIAN system up and running we don't have to worry about anything else happening to the people down there."

"You didn't get too much trouble from the brass?" asked Jane.

Ashley shook her head, "Not really. They were just glad that things didn't get worse. We only lost a couple dozen down there, but we managed to keep the rest of the colony intact thankfully. I don't want to think about what would have happened if you guys hadn't shown up when you did."

**"How'd you manage to get them to let you come on with us?" **asked Alex.

"That was Anderson's doing." replied Ashley. "Apparently after meeting with the Commander on the Citadel with the rest of the Council he knew that she is still the same as she was when we were fighting Saren. And it helps to have an Alliance member here to report back anything useful if Cerberus proves to be a problem."

"It's good to have you here, Ash." said Garrus. "Stopping something hell bent on galactic destruction. Just like old times."

"Still pissed off Garrus." the Gunnery Chief said giving him a look that shut him up. She turned to the Commander, "I may not have trust for Cerberus. But I trust you and Alex, Skipper. I just hope that this doesn't come back to bite me in the ass."

Jane shook her hand, "Thanks for this, Ash. And don't worry, I'll make sure that you won't regret this. I really could use some familiar faces around here. I can't really trust everyone on this ship myself."

Alex wrapped an arm around her waist in comfort as the four of them headed toward the elevator. **"We got a few things to talk about before things really get started. Just the four of us. You two mind meeting up in Jane's cabin in about 20 minutes?"** he asked.

"Sure, I just gotta find a place to set up." said Ashley.

You can stay in the main battery with me." said Garrus hoping to smooth things over a little more with the Human woman after the big blow up that happened the other day.

The Chief hid a small smile, it was fun watching her Turian boyfriend try to get back in her good graces. "Alright, but your sleeping in another cot until I'm done being pissed at you. And don't forget the other things you promised me." she said giving him a knowing look.

"Oh I gotta hear this." said Jane also looking at Garrus.

Shaking his head, Alex couldn't help but think of how things have already changed for the better in their situation. And if things kept going the way he hoped they would, Cerberus would be on the receiving end of some serious backlash when they got what they were looking for.

And if everything went well, the Collectors wouldn't be the only ones out of commission before the Reapers arrived.

X

**Cerberus Headquarters - Cronos Station **

**Anadius Cluster - Horsehead Nebula**

**October 5, 2185 - 12:40 hours**

In his large office, the Illusive Man looked over the reports from the _Normandy_. It wasn't a surprise that once Maverick stepped on to the ship that the listening equipment that he had in place was malfunctioning everywhere he went. EDI had also had trouble monitoring the ex-Spectre everywhere he went on the ship.

How he was doing it was still a mystery. One that he was planning on figuring out along with what secrets his suit held.

His refusal to join Cerberus was never an issue. But his skills and prowess in combat made it very difficult to apprehend him. And the death toll had risen in the organization every time they attempted to take him down.

But now the vigilante was on the _Normandy_, just as the tycoon had expected once Shepard was brought back from the dead.

The sound of light footsteps echoed behind him. "He's on the _Normandy_ now, isn't he?" asked a shadow looking at Maverick's dossier on the holo-screen before them.

"Yes. As expected." said the Illusive Man. "His feelings for her would eventually draw him to her. Now that he is in our sights, it's only a matter of time before he slips. And when that happens, we will have him."

"Good." The shadow nodded as it stepped into the low light, revealing the sinister visage of Kai Leng. The ex-N7 Commando turned Cerberus Assassin looked at the screen with a passive expression, but was gripping the HVB in his hand tightly remembering the last time the they met.

The deep scar on the right side of his face that went from his chin to his forehead a permanent reminder of their confrontation. One he intended on paying the man back for very, _very_ soon.

"You will get your vengeance, Leng." said the Illusive Man calmly taking a drag on his cigarette. "But not until we've captured him and acquired that suit. Is that understood?"

Leng nodded slowly, "Of course, sir. Inform me when it is time to strike." he said before slipping back into the shadows.

_**A/N: Plot twist after plot twist huh. This was all planned so that I could open up new possibilities not only in the mission against the Collectors. But a way to give a little bit of a back story of what happened during the time skip not too far back. And you have to admit, a conflict between Alex and Kai Leng was bound to happen eventually. I just made it happen a little sooner than what would be expected. **_

_**Update coming soon!**_


	16. Saving Tali

_**A/N: It took me a little while, but I think that I've just finished writing my biggest chapter in any story I've written. And with how I'm able to crank things out it's only a matter of time before I make an even bigger one farther down the road.**_

_**A couple people have told me that I've had Alex be a little too hard on Miranda. And in some ways I have to agree. I'm going to tell you all now that there is a method behind my madness and that things will get very interesting for the 'perfect woman' later in the story. A lot of things are gonna be changing and will ultimately make things the way we all expected them to be for Mass Effect. **_

_**With the mission against the Collectors finally underway, my update times will be slown a bit so that I have time to add the best amount of content for each chapter while adding my own flare to it. So let's get back on track! (I own nothing)**_

**Commander Jane Shepard**

_**Normandy SR-2**_** - CIC**

**October 10, 2185 - 10:59 hours**

The galaxy map illuminated the Combat Information Center, casting a bright glow on the crew and the terminals as Jane looked over their next heading.

Time aboard the _Normandy_ _SR-2_ had been very...tense, for lack of a better term.

Ever since leaving Horizon, the crew had given a wide berth whenever Alex was in the same room. A lot of them knowing full well who he was and what he had been capable of. Doing everything in their power to avoid setting the nano soldier off and suffering his wrath.

The only ones that actually got close to him other than the Commander was the members of the ground team. In fact, he had found somewhat mutual ground with each member.

Mordin was interested in his suit and the capabilities it possessed in combat. More so how the 'skin' of the suit could change and shift depending on the situation the user found themselves in. Alex had been more then happy to compare notes on certain things, after making sure that 'curious eyes' weren't watching them work.

Zaeed was good to talk to, they compared stories from various firefights they had been in, in the past. The scarred bounty hunter was pretty impressed with the nano soldier's background and what he had done when they had been chasing down Saren and Sovereign.

Jack and Grunt kept to themselves around him like they did almost everyone else. Though Jane could see that what they had seen him do on the colony against the Collectors made them keep him within their field of vision whenever he was within range.

Kasumi had spent a lot of time trying to shadow Alex. Using all of her skills to try and crack the mystery of what was under the nano suit. But Alex's own cloaking and stealth skills outmatched hers whenever she started getting close.

But the thief was persistent. And she loved a challenge.

In the beginning, the only members of the ground team that went out of their way to avoid the Post-Human was Jacob and Miranda. However, after some time Alex had managed to get through to Jacob. The operative was shocked to learn how adept at weapon modifications that he had been and the two slowly started to bond over making sure that all the crews armaments were ready for combat.

After making sure that everything was proper, Jane came down from the ramp that over looked the galaxy map and began to make her way to the bridge.

The last few days with Alex had been the best. It was like when they were together after Sovereign was brought down. She opened her cabin to him and said he could stay with her, an invitation that he accepted without hesitation.

And it honestly felt good to be in his arms at night. She could finally sleep peacefully again.

It wasn't just the Commander and Alex that had been doing well in the relationship. After giving Garrus a hard time for another day, Ashley forgave him under the stipulation that he wouldn't keep things from her again...That, and cleaning her assault rifle for two weeks. But the Turian didn't seem to mind at all now that she was close to him again after everything he had gone through on Omega.

As for the Gunnery Chief, she worked in the armory with Jacob. Keeping her distance from the Cerberus operative while she worked since the only ones she trusted on the _Normandy_ were Jane, Alex, Garrus, Joker and Chakwas.

Aside from the personal matters aboard the ship, the mission was still heavy on everyone's thoughts. Since the last meeting with the Illusive Man, the Commander had been slowly wondering if everyone was ready for the mission at hand and if they had anything to bring closure to before they hit the Omega 4 relay.

The first one to come to her with something was Jacob, saying that he had received word about his father, whose ship had disappeared 10 years ago and hadn't been heard from since.

Taking Jacob, Kasumi and Mordin with her, they all went down and discovered that Ronald Taylor had spent the past decade living a juvenile fantasy with himself as a king and the surviving female crew members of the ship as his harem.

It took a lot of restraint on Jane's part to not let Jacob put a bullet through his father's head.

Not long after that, Jack came to her about wanting to go to the place that tortured and experimented on her as a child and blow it to hell. Garrus and Alex both tagged along to the Teltin facility and they all garnered more hatred for Cerberus than they had before.

Once the mission was over, and the facility destroyed, they all went back to the _Normandy_ where Joker and EDI had picked up a distress signal coming from the planet Haestrom. The very same planet that Tali was stationed on with her team deep within Geth territory.

"How far are we from Haestrom, Joker?" Jane asked reaching the cockpit.

"Another three hours out. We've had stealth systems engaged since we entered the system to avoid detection from Geth patrol drones." said the pilot with his hands gliding over the displays in front of him. "Makes you wonder what the Quarians are doing out here." he wondered.

"It is possible that they are performing research on the Geth." stated EDI from her panel next to the pilot's seat. "According to archives, Haestrom was once considered a Quarian world back when they inhabited the system. Buildings and other architecture could still be present planet side."

Nodding, the Commander looked at the displays before her before turning back to Joker. "Keep me posted when we reach the planet. If Tali's in trouble we'll need to find her and extract quickly before the Geth send in reinforcements."

"Aye, aye." said the helmsmen before turning back to look at her. "So, how's tinman settling in? He's been up here a couple of times to chat but it's hard to tell when he's wearing the suit."

Jane shrugged, "He seems to be settling in just fine. No real incidents with him or anyone else on the ground team. And the crew avoids him at all costs considering his standing with Cerberus."

Joker shot a look at EDI's avatar before going back to the Commander, "Can't really blame him with the history that these guys have." he couldn't really say what he wanted to with EDI listening and having no way of knowing what would get back to the Illusive Man.

Not long after Ashley had come aboard, Alex had asked everyone from the original _Normandy_ to Jane's cabin. Once there, he made sure that they weren't being overheard before telling them the same plan he told her about what they were going to do about Cerberus.

Garrus, Ashley, Joker and Chakwas were all for it. All they had to do was wait for the right moment to strike.

They had all also been informed of Alex and Liara's positions as co-Shadow Brokers. And that everything and anything they needed would be given to them without question. Their little meeting ended after the nano soldier had Prophet upgrade their omni-tools with the firewall barrier they had developed so that no one could track what they were doing on the ship.

Understanding what Joker was trying to convey to her, Jane headed back down the bridge toward the elevator. Bringing up her omni-tool and sending messages to Ashley, Garrus and Alex say that they would be at Haestrom soon and that they'd be heading down to get Tali.

And hopefully the Geth presence wouldn't be too much for them to handle.

X

**Alexander 'Maverick' Drake**

**Far Rim - Planet Haestrom**

**October 10, 2185 - 13:14 hours**

The shuttle rumbled a little as it broke through the planet's atmosphere and made it's way to the ground. With the _Normandy_ having to keep stealth systems activated with the possibility of Geth patrolling the cluster the team of four decided to take the _Wraith _out for this op to keep the element of stealth in tact.

But the planet wasn't making it easy on them. The dying start that was the sun for this part of the system was throwing out harmful rays that was damaging to anything technological. And even the black shuttles advanced systems had trouble with staying functional.

_'Guys, our data indicates that Tali is somewhere in these ruins. There is considerable Geth activity, and an environmental hazard.'_ said Joker on the radio.

**"We noticed. Keep us updated, Joker."** said Alex touching them down as close to the ruins, and in the shade, as he could.

Popping the hatch, the four climbed out and surveyed their surroundings as the shuttle closed up and cloaked itself to avoid detection. _'Solar output had overwhelmed Haestrom's protective magnetosphere. Exposure to direct sunlight will damage your shields.'_ warned EDI.

"So we stick to the shade and we'll be fine." said Ashley holding up her assault rifle while they began moving down the ramp in front of them.

"Keep your eyes open for the Quarian as well as the Geth. Hopefully we'll find survivors." said Jane. Along their path, the team walked through a spot of sunlight and saw warning lights go off on their HUDs. True to the intel, their shields began to drain rapidly the longer they stayed in the light.

In Alex's case, his energy meter began to drop steadily even though he wasn't using any of the suits modes. **"It's effecting the nano suit too. Guess all forms of energy are effected by the rays."** he commented when they got back into the shade and approached a sealed door and checkpoint.

Guns ready, Garrus hit the lock allowing thre door to slide open so they could slip inside.

In the small bunker. A lone Quarian laid slumped against the wall with several bleeding holes punched through his suit. Three dead Geth platforms laid nearby revealing that the man had gone down fighting.

The team swept the room as a video log from the dead Quarian played from a nearby terminal. _'Emergency log entry: The Geth are here. I've stayed to buy the others time. Anyone who gets this, find Tali'Zorah. She and that data are all that matters...Keelah'se'lai.:'_ the message just kept repeating until Alex shut the terminal down. Casting a glance at the fallen soldier and giving a silent prayer before regrouping with the others.

"What were they doing out here? It seems a bit odd for a small team of Quarians to be in the middle of Geth space like this." wondered Garrus.

Jane hit a switch on a nearby console allowing the gate outside to open. "We'll ask once we find Tali and her team. Let's move." she said as they left the bunker and entered a wide open area within the old ruins.

They barely had a moment to look around when a Geth dropship swooped down and deposited a handful of platforms on the ground before flying off. Each drop unfolded revealing four Geth Troopers who all drew their weapons and fired on the team as they got into cover.

Ashley got up first, sighting the first of the synthetics and peppering it's body with rounds and putting it down fast before getting back down as pulse rounds tore into her cover.

Alex came up, Harrier raised and put a few short controlled bursts into a couple of platforms while Jane and Garrus put down the rest. "Keep pushing before they regroup!" Garrus called out as they moved from cover to cover as more Geth began coming out of the structures around them.

Jane fired an overload from her omni-tool that shattered a Shock Trooper's shields allowing Alex to punch holes through it's armor with his rifle. The team of four moved as a group, providing suppressing fire for one another as they strategically picked the Geth off. Gaining more ground as they made their way through the ruins toward the door leading to the next site.

One last round fired from Garrus' sniper rifle, punching a hole through a Rocket Trooper's optic and dropping it fast before it could launch an explosive at them. "This is starting to look really familiar." said the Turian loading in a fresh thermal clip.

**"Yeah, now all we need is the rest of the crew and it'll really feel like old times again."** said Alex as he worked on the door. **"Only, you know, without the psychotic rogue Spectre and a Reaper wanting to torch us." **the door slid open and he picked up his weapon as they move on.

"We'll with an attitude like that, where's the fun?" asked Ashley with a slight smirk.

Shaking her head, the Commander looked at the Turian-Human couple. "He's rubbing off on you, Ash."

Reaching the end of a long stone corridor, Alex pressed his back to the wall and peered around the corner. Two Geth Troopers and a Hunter were standing around putting rounds into the body of another Quarian. Their backs to the rest of the corridor leaving them vulnerable.

_**"Cloak Engaged." **_he slipped around the corner and approached the closest Trooper. Silently taking out his knife and driving it into the synthetic's spine causing it to stutter and click loudly, alerting the other two platforms.

The Post-Human grabbed the plasma shotgun from the dying Geth's hands and fired a blast into the Hunter as it was attempting to cloak itself. Blowing through its shields and melting armor from the super heated projectiles.

With the first two down, the remaining Geth Trooper raised its weapon only to be torn down by a hail of gunfire from the rest of the team. "You could have waited for us you know." Jane said making sure that the Geth were all down for good.

**"Thought I'd clear the way a bit."** said Alex as he bent down to check the vitals of the Quarian. Shaking his head seeing that he was long gone, suit punched through in multiple places and in vital areas. **"He's gone. Let's keep moving."**

_'Break-Break-Break. OP-1, this is squad leader Kal'Reegar, do you copy? The Geth sent a dropship towards OP-2. Tali'Zorah's secure, but we need backup.' _said a voice not too far away.

Ashley picked up a comm receiver from near another fallen Quarian not too far away and tossed it to the Commander.

_'OP-1, this is squad leader Kal'Reegar, come in, over!' _"This is Commander Shepard of the _Normandy_. Can we provide assistance?" asked Jane.

_'Patch your radio into Channel 617 Theta. We were on a stealth mission. High risk. We found what we were after, but the Geth found us.' _the team all locked the radio channel into their own comm network as the squad leader continued. _'They've got us pinned down. Can't get to our ship, can't transmit data through the solar radiation.'_

"How many of you are left?" asked the Commander.

_'We were a small squad. A dozen marines, plus the science team. We're down to half strength now. Made the synthetic bastards pay for it though.' _replied Reegar.

"How are you all holding up? We're not far from your location." said Jane.

_'Take it slow and careful. Direct sunlight fries your shields all to hell. We're bunkered down at the base camp across the valley. I left Tali'Zorah at a secure shelter then doubled back to hold the chokepoint.' _said the Quarian.

Alex approached the mouth of the tunnel and saw three Quarian marines hunkered own around a doorway leading out of the site. _'Getting Tali out safely is our top priority. If you can extract her, we'll keep them off you.'_

_**"Geth Dropship Incoming."**_ Prophet warned as the ship in question swooped down. **"Dropship!" **Alex shouted as it began raining plasma down on to the area forcing everyone into cover. The Quarians were blown back from the blasts as one managed to damage a nearby support, causing it to list to the side.

_"No fucking way!" _Alex roared mentally as he sprinted across the expanse in front of him with speed that most Humans would envy. Reaching the downed Quarian's location as the support fell down toward them. _**"Maximum Power."**_ the nano soldier raised his hands and braced himself as the support landed on top of him.

His knees bent and he grunted from exertion from all of the weight that was trying to crush him down. The three Quarians that had been holding the door looked up in awe as the Post-Human used every ounce of his enhanced strength to keep them from being crushed to death.

With one good shove, the support was hurled forward. Crushing several Geth platforms that were drawing in closer from the surrounding buildings. **"Don't just sit there, get into cover!"** he shouted taking his assault rifle out and firing on the Geth that were still standing. The Quarians got up and back behind the wall and provided support as Jane and the others ran over and regrouped.

"We're gonna have a talk about you running off like that." she said taking a Hunter down with a well aimed sniper round.

**"Sorry Darlin. But these guys needed help and I couldn't just sit there."** Alex replied as he dumped a spent thermal clip and slammed in a fresh one.

Accepting it for the time being, the team mopped up the last of the Geth that were attacking before turning to the Quarians. "Thanks for that, we would have been killed if you hadn't stop that from falling on us." said one of the marines.

**"It was no problem. Where's your squad leader?"** asked the Post-Human.

"Farther ahead trying to reach Tali'Zorah's position before the Geth wise up and try to reach her first. We've been tasked with keeping this point secure and make sure the Geth doesn't get to the remaining members of the science team."

"You'll have a better chance at holding them off from inside. Out here you'll be sitting ducks if that dropship makes another pass." said Ashley.

"We were thinking the same thing." said the only female Quarian in the group as they headed for the door and entering the secured bunker. "The data we've been gathering here was labeled important to the Migrant Fleet. Getting the data out of here is mission critical, which is why it's important that Tali get out of here before-"

The explination stopped when they passed through the second door leading into the bunker and saw the room in shambles. The science team that the squad hae been defending and a couple of their fellow marines laid dead all over the room with the bodies of several deactivated Geth platforms.

One of the platforms crawled toward them before Garrus put a round through it's optic. "Keelah!" shouted one of the marines running over and checking one of the bodies. "The bastards must have found another way in while we were holding the front." he said shaking his head when he found that there were no survivors.

"Whatever your team had been gathering isn't worth this." said Jane checking on another Quarian and finding them dead like the rest.

"Tell that to the admirals." said the female marine as they spread out to find anything salvageable in the room.

_'Tali'Zorah to base camp. Come in, base camp.' _Everyone turned and saw a hologram projection of Tali's upper half over a console next to the door leading out of the bunker. _'Hello? Is anyone there?'_ she asked waiting a response.

Jane approached the console with the others close by. "Tali, it's Shepard. I'm sorry. Everyone here is dead except for a couple of marines, any other survivors must have fallen back." she said looking at her friend.

_'We knew this mission was high risk. Damn it.' _cursed the Quarian. _'But...what are you doing out here Shepard? We're in the middle of Geth Space!'_

The Commander smirked, "I was in the neighborhood. Thought you might need a hand, and I brought a few other familiar faces." she said motioning to the rest of the team.

Tali's hologram looked to everyone and she seemed surprised. _'Ashley? Garrus? Alex? Keelah, it means a lot seeing all of you after so long. Thank you for coming.'_

"It's no problem, Tali." said Ashley. "When the Skipper said that you were having trouble out here you can bet that we'd be right there with her helping wherever we can."

**"That, and cracking Geth heads brings back a lot of fond memories."** Alex added grinning under his visor.

Jane shook her head before looking back at Tali serious. "Where are you now?"

_'Kal'Reegar and what's left of the marines got me into the observatory. From where you all are, it's through the door and across the field.' _explained the Quarian. _'I got the data I need, and I'm safe for now, but I've got a lot of Geth outside.'_

Looking at the door, the Commander looked back at her friend. "The door's sealed from our side. Looks like one of the survivors made sure that the Geth couldn't follow them. And the console is damaged, can you get it open on your end?"

_'Let me see...Yes, I can do it. Here. Should be unlocked now.'_ said Tali as the lock switched from red to green. _'But be careful, all of you. And please, do what you can to keep Reegar and the others alive.'_ the hologram winked out and the door next to the console slid open.

"Let's get moving, Tali doesn't have much time if the Geth are closing in on her and the other survivors." said Jane before looking at the other Quarian marines. "You three coming along?"

They nodded, "It was our mission to ensure that Tali'Zorah made it out of this. And we'll make sure that, that happens." said one of them raising his assault rifle.

**"Good to here, stick close and watch your corners. Geth could be laying in wait along the way after what went down here." **said Alex as they went through the door into a hallway that lead down deeper into the bunker.

When everyone was through the door, the nano soldier brought up his omni-tool and shattered the holo-lock to make sure that they weren't followed. _"Not like it could actually stop them, but it'll slow them down a bit."_ he thought shouldering his assault rifle and following after the team.

X

It had taken them a good ten minutes before they reached the area where Tali was being held up. The expanse of land between the bunker where they picked up the marines and the next site, filled with broken walls and salvaged parts where a Geth Prime had set up shop with a small squadron of drones to keep the group of seven on their toes.

After hacking a handful of drones to give them an edge on Alex's part. They took out the drones and, after combining their efforts, the Prime itself before reaching the next bunker.

"Well...that was a rough one." said Garrus leaning against a nearby wall.

Ashley was kneeling down next to one of the Quarian marines applying medi-gel to his wounded leg and sealing his suit with omni-gel. "You good?" she asked helping him stand up.

"Y-Yeah...antibiotics just started kicking in. I should be fine." he replied standing on his wounded leg to experiment. The Prime had gotten a lucky shot off when he was diving into cover and the Gunnery Chief had worked fast when they were safe so that he didn't suffer too bad of an infection.

Jane approached a glowing console that controled the shutters and doors to the room they were all in. Alex walking up behind her as she activated the locks allowing every window and door to open. "Let's keep moving, it can't be too far from..." she trailed off when the shutters fully opened revealing the site beyond.

A squad of Geth were hunkered down by the observatory door trying to get it open. But it was the large form behind them that got the squads attention. The tall, oblong shape of a Colossus swung around to face the disturbance. It's optic glowing brightly when it locked on to them.

"SHIT! COLOSSUS!" Ashley screamed when the large platform's main weapon charged and fired a large blast of plasma their way.

**"GET DOWN!" **Alex shouted as they all hit the dirt. One of the walls close to the shutters was blown open from the blast sending dust and chunks of debris scattering all over the room. **"Move! We're sitting ducks in here!" **he called out as they all scrambled out of the bunker just as a second plasma blast struck.

The seven armed soldiers went down the ramp, keeping close to the wall as they turned a corner and saw another Quarian crouched down behind a divider holding a rocket launcher in his hands.

"Over here! Get to cover!" he shouted before standing up and firing a couple rockets at the Geth forces out in the open.

"Squad Leader!" shouted one of the marines as they all got into cover around him. Reegar nodded to his men. "What happened to the base camp? Where are the others?" he asked looking to each of them.

"Dead, sir." said the female shaking her head. "If these guys hadn't shown up when they did we would have joined them."

Reegar looked to Jane and the others as they got into cover on his other side. "Squad Leader Kal'Reegar, Migrant Fleet Marines. We talked on the radio before that dropship arrived. Thank you, for saving my men when you did." he said in honesty. "I got no idea why you guys are here, but this ain't the time to be picky."

An explosion on the other side of the divider made them all drop lower. Alex and Garrus popped up with their sniper rifles and began picking off Geth Troopers that were firing on them from around the Colossus' legs.

"Tali's inside over there." Reegar said pointing to the door on the far wall. "The Geth killed the rest of my squad, and they're trying to get to her. Best I've been able to do is draw their attention."

Another blast struck their cover, this time Ashley and the Quarian marines all poked up and began assisting with their own weapons as more Geth tried to move in.

"If Tali's still alive, how long will she be able to hold out in there?" asked Jane peering over the divider briefly.

"The observatory is reinforced. Even the Geth will need time to get through it. And it's hard to hack a door when someone's firing rockets at you." replied the squad leader. "The Geth are near platoon strength, but the Colossus is the worst part. It's got a repair protocol. Huddles up and fixes itself."

"I can't get a clear shot when it's down like that. I tried to move in closer, and one of the bastards punched a shot clean through my suit."

**"How bad's the suit, Reegar?" **Alex asked sighting a Shock Trooper and blowing its head off with his Black Widow.

"Combat seals are clamped down to isolate contamination, and I'm swimming in antibiotics." said Reegar. "The damn Geth might get me, but I'm not going to die from an infection in the middle of a battle. That's just insulting."

As they talked, Alex began mapping out the area on his HUD. Marking key locations that would prove valuable to them when they moved to take control of the area. _**"Tactical Options Available."**_ Jane and Reegar were in the middle of talking strategy when he moved over to them. **"I have a plan to get us closer to the door."** he said bringing up his omni-tool and projecting a 3D map of the battlefield.

**"There's a cat walk on the right side of the site. Perfect sniping location. " **he said highlighting the catwalk in question. **"The middle and left side have cover, but both leave us open to an enemy element. The middle allows the Colossus a clear shot at us but cover from the other Geth. The left side is the exact opposite, but allows us to flank the Colossus and get in close."**

The Commander looked the map over carefully before going to her comrade/lover. "Your a good strategist. What do you think?"

Mulling it over, the nano soldier shut down the map. **"We get two people up up on the catwalk, they can provide overwatch while the rest of us can move in on the ground to the left. We may have to deal with the Geth, but the Colossus is the biggest threat and needs to be dealt with first."**

"Your best bet will be to sabotage its shields then wittle down its armor." said Reegar.

Alex nodded, **"I've got a powerful overload program that can take care of the shields when we get close enough. Jane's grenade launcher and my HE-arrows for my bow can pack enough punch to put it down."**

Jane nodded liking the plan as she turned back to the squad leader, "You and you're men hold here. We'll deal with the Colossus and get to Tali before they breach the door."

"I can't do that ma'am." said Reegar shaking his head standing up and firing a few rockets. "Our job is to keep Tali safe. This is our best shot and we're not going to blow it now."

In a moment, Jane was on her feet pushing the red suited Quarian to the wall safely out of the line of fire. "We don't have enough people on our side for you and your men to take one for the team! Stand down!" she ordered as rounds chipped the cover close to them as the two teams fired back on the synthetics.

"I'm not going to stand there while you run into enemy fire!" Reegar shouted. " They killed most of my squad!"

**"And if you want to honor the ones you lost, you guys should cover our asses so that we aren't flanked if they bring down reinforcements." **Alex butted in as he switched his sniper rifle for his Harrier and kept firing.

"He's right, Reegar." said Jane seriously. "You and your men have done enough today. Let us handle the rest."

The Quarian seemed to be fighting with himself for several moments before he sighed, "Alright, Shepard. We'll do this your way. Hit them hard for us! Keelah se'lai!" he said as they got ready to move.

Gathering close, Alex peered up at the catwalk he had mentioned earlier. **"Garrus, you and Ash head up on the catwalk. Provide us with sniper support while we move into position and make damn sure the Geth don't get the drop on you."** the two nodded as the nano soldier looked to the Commander. **"Once their ready, we'll move up one at a time while covering each other so that neither of us get hit. When we get close enough, we'll hit that big fucker with everything we got." **

Plan now laid out, the team got ready to execute it. **"On three."** Alex said as he and Jane made sure they had fresh thermal clips in their rifles. Ashley and Garrus braced themselves for the run to the sniper point.

**"One..."** the nano soldier peered over to see the Colossus charging its weapon and the Geth around it firing on them. **"Two..."** the large platform fired its weapon, the other Geth dropped to cover to avoid being hit as the blast hit the far wall missing its target. **"THREE!" **

Everyone was moving at once. Jane and Alex jumped up spraying bullets everywhere, drawing the attention of the attacking Geth and giving Ashley and Garrus the chance to sprint to the ladder leading to the catwalk.

The synthetics returned fire, completely focused on the couple that they never noticed the othe couple getting into position on the elevated area above them.

Garrus found a good spot and set up quickly while Ashley hunkered down close by so that she could watch out for any Geth that would try to flank them. The Turian looked down scope and sighted the closest platform by the Commander and Post-Human before pulling the trigger.

Back on the ground, Jane watched the head of a Shock Trooper explode in a shower of sparks. The Colossus fired a blast in their direction and took out a concrete support sending small chunks of debris showering down around them.

Alex drew one of his Paladins and shot down a Trooper before turning to the Commander, **"Jane go! I got you covered!" **Getting a nod, Jane leapt over the divider and ran to a stack of stone pipes nearby and hunkering down behind them as she took out another Geth that came down from the ramp they were working toward.

Garrus' rifle registered and a Hunter dropped to the ground while Alex took out another Trooper. _**"Cloak Engaged." **_Leaping over the low wall, he switched to his bow and fired two arrows into the optics of passing Geth platforms as he crossed the open area and crouched down behind a crate close to the ramp."Jane, I'm cloaked by the ramp. Move up, I'll cover you." he said on a private comm channel.

Jane looked his way and sent back an acknowledgement before rolling out of cover and sprinting across the grounds. She could hear Alex's bow release twice in tendem with Garrus' rifle firing from above. A few Geth fell dead along the way as she slid back into cover out of the line of fire.

Where she crouched between the nano soldiers legs while he was crouched.

**"You did that on purpose." **he said deactivating his cloak.

The red-head smirked, "Guess you'll never know." she said before snapping her gaze to the side and peppering the armor of a Geth Trooper as it attempted to flank them. "Garrus, how are you and Ash holding up?" she asked looking up at the catwalk were she saw full auto fire being discharged.

_'Holding. A few of the bastards tried to get around us but Ash is picking them off since there isn't any cover up here but out own.'_ replied the Turian as he took down another mobile platform.

Alex saw something shimmer in the air in the direction they were going and adjusted his HUD. _**"Nano Vision Enabled." **_A cloaked Hunter lit up brightly on the cold back drop around it giving the nano soldier a shot as he let another arrow fly. The larger Geth unit falling dead to the ground with the bolt sticking out the back of its head.

**"We gotta get this done before they send more in."** he said switching the clip on the bow to HE-arrows and pulling out his Harrier.

"Agreed." said Jane as they began moving from cover to cover. The Geth numbers slowly being wittled down as they pushed toward the observatory where the Colossus was set up.

After dropping one last Shock Trooper, Alex crouched down close to Jane who was looking at the Colossus that was not even ten meters away from them. "I hope that plan of yours works. Taking one of these things without a Mako could prove problematic." she said looking back at him.

Scanning the large Geth with his HUD. Prophet brought up a 3D display on screen and began searching it quickly. _**"Enemy Weaknesses Detected."**_ said the AI highlighting the leg joints on the Colossus and a panel on the back of the neck where it connected with the rest of the body.

**"After the shields have been dropped, aim for the leg joints. We cripple it, it won't be able to fold in on itself without causing more damage. After that there's a panel on the back of its lower neck that should help us put it down."** said the Post-Human as he brought up his omni-tool and began charging the nano suits energy into it for a powerful overload.

Jane pulled out her grenade launcher and waited as Alex stood up. The Colossus swung its head their way and began charging its main gun.

The tech attack was launched, connecting against the Geth's strong shields and exploding with a large blast of electricity as it fizzled and died. _**"Energy Depleted."**_ Alex dove behind a nearby crate to let his suit recharge as the blast of plasma from the Colossus scorched he ground near where he had been standing.

With the shields down, the duo had a perfect opening as they began firing on the now exposed platform and causing as much damage as they could.

Jane's grenades exploded off of its armor keeping it off balance while Alex fired HE-arrows into the exposed joints around its legs. When the Colossus stood up straight before collapsing in on itself as it began its self repair like Reegar had mentioned.

Alex grinned under his visor. The shafts of the arrows snapped when the synthetic folded, but the explosive heads and the detonator transmitters were still in tact where he had shot them. The Colossus made a mistake, one that would cost it.

**"Brace!"** the nano soldier shouted as he and Jane got down when he hit the detonator on his bow.

The folded up Colossus' right side exploded. Metal and circuits sent flying in every direction as its legs were blown apart. Attempting to unfold itself, the Geth collapsed to the ground with only its left legs to stand up on. Cracks with sparks coming out of them covered a good portion of its armor as it raised its head to try and search for its attackers.

They kept hitting it while it was down, being sure to make it so that it couldn't fire its main weapon while they hammered it with everything they had. Garrus and Ashley adding their own rounds to the assault as the Colossus chattered something as its body began to slowly shut down.

Capitalizing on the downed synthetic, Jane ran the distance between them and leapt up on to its back, combat knife in hand as she pried open the panel Alex pointed out before. Shoving the barrel of her assault rifle into the newly made opening, she emptied an entire thermal clip into the exposed insides as more sparks shot out with every round fired.

After what felt like forever, the large optic of the Colossus went dark and its head and neck fell to the ground never to rise again.

Making sure that it was down, the Commander slid down the curve of the synthetics back only to see her lover standing there with his arms crossed. She could practically feel the raised eyebrow behind the visor. **"What was that earlier about running off on our own?" **he asked condescendingly.

"I'm leading, it's different for me." said the red-head cocking her head to the side and smirking.

Alex shook his head and activated his radio as Ashley and Garrus rejoined them after mopping up the last couple of Geth in the area. **"Reegar, how are you and your men holding up?" **

_'We're alright, Keelah that was a well executed plan you guys pulled off. Go get Tali and we'll meet up with you in a moment.' _replied the squad leader.

"Let's go get our mechanic genius." said Ashley as they headed to the door leading to the observatory. Alex's omni-tool flared as he waved it over the holo-lock, deactivating it and allowing the door to slide open.

The bunker inside was filled with various terminals and power units designed for information gathering. Three Geth laid dead just over the threshold as the team stepped in with their weapons ready just incase.

At the far end of the room, Tali stood at a console with her back to them. She looked over her shoulder at them in surprise. "You made it! Thank Keelah. Just give me a few moments to finish downloading this." she said turning back to her work.

Putting their weapons away, the team approached their friend. "You okay Tali? None of them got to you?" asked Jane.

"No, and thank you. All of you." replied the Quarian finishing up her job and turning to them fully. "If not for you, I would never have gotten out of this room. This whole mission has been a disaster. I wish I'd joined you back on Freedom's Progress, Shepard. But I couldn't let anyone take my place in something this risky."

**"You've definitely come along way, Tali." **said Alex crossing his arms over his chest.

"I have you and Shepard to thank for that, Alex." said Tali with a little pride. "You two taught me how to take on the impossible and still manage to get through no matter what."

Jane looked serious, "A lot of Quarians lost their lives for this mission. Was the information worth it?" she asked.

Tali looked solumn. "I don't know. It wasn't my call. The Admiralty Board believed the information here was worth sacrificing all our lives for. I have to believe that they know what's best."

Alex bit his lip hard to avoid saying something he wouldn't have regretted. Thankfully Jane spoke again. "I was asking for your opinion, Tali."

Tali sighed, "A lot of people died here. Some of them were my friends. All of them good at their jobs. That damn data better be worth it. The price was too high."

"Missions go wrong all the time, but I have to agree with you on that Tali." said Ashley understanding where she was coming from. "Even if the data was important, it wasn't worth the price of good people."

"Whatever the reason, we wer glad to help." said the Commander. "Once you deliver that data, I could use you on the _Normandy_."

"I promised to see this mission through. I did. I can leave with you and send the data to the fleet." replied Tali as she typed on her omni-tool. "And if the Admirals have a problem with it, they can go to hell. I just watched the rest of my team die."

"Maybe not the whole rest of your team, ma'am." everyone turned and saw Reegar limp into the room with the three marines behind him.

"Reegar! I'm so glad that you all made it!" said Tali relieved to see that at least some of them made it.

"Your old team and Captain are as good as you said. Damn Colossus never stood a chance." said Reegar remembering clearly how the four man team took down all the Geth that had been outside.

"If you guys need a lift out of here you can hitch a ride with us." said Garrus.

The squad leader shook his head, "The Geth didn't damage our ship. Long as we can get out of here before reinforcements show up, we'll be fine."

"Actually, I won't be going with you." said Tali getting the attention of the other Quarians. "I'm joining Commander Shepard and the others. My help is needed elsewhere."

Reegar nodded, "I'll pass the data to the Admiralty Board and let them know what happened." he looked at Jane. "She's all yours now, Shepard. Keep her safe."

Jane nodded seriously as they all headed out of the observatory and went their separate ways. The _Wraith _had been hailed and had touched down close by allowing the team to pile on. "Impressive." Tali said looking the advanced Kodiac over carefully.

**"Been tinkering with the nano suits abilities and trying to integrate it into other things. This shuttle is the first success." **said Alex as he hit a few buttons on his omni-tool. _**"Connection Established."**_ said Prophet as the _Wraith_ began flying itself back to the _Normandy_. He pulled his helmet off and joined the others in the troop compartment. "There's something we have to let you in on, Tali. Which is why all of us came down here to get you.

The Quarian looked to each of her friends who all looked serious. "This sounds important. What's going on Alex?"

Sitting down next to Jane who slipped her gloved hand into his, Alex looked to his friend and squared his shoulders. "Get comfy, it's going to be a long ride."

_**A/N: The teams getting back together in the best ways possible. And with things to come the **_**Normandy_ crew new and old will have to step up and kick a lot of ass. Update coming as quickly as possible, your reviews keep me going guys! _**


	17. NOTICE

**Hello everyone, for the record this is not DemonFireX. I'm his girlfriend and I'm writing this to tell you all what has happened in the last week. **

** As you know, my boyfriend was in a car accident that damaged his arm and leg pretty bad. What you don't know and what we just discovered is that the damage done to his leg was a lot worse that what the doctors thought. **

** When the car was hit, the force from the impact had torn all but one of the main tendons in his right knee. This includes the ACL tendon which is a big problem.**

** Even though he never showed it, he was in a lot of pain. So much that even the pain pills the hospital gave him barely work. When we took him to the hospital to find out how to fix this we got the worse news possible.**

** Because of the damage done...the tendons are shreaded. The only one remotely salvageable enough to fix is the ACL. The doctor told us that they could repair what they could, but he wouldn't be able to gain full function of his right leg ever again. **

** We were all devistated. He was on our school's track team and loved running so much. I saw a part of him die when the doctor told him that he'd have to be on crutches for the rest of his life. I swear it killed me and his mother seeing him like that. **

** The only consolation was that the court date set for the bastard that hit the car wasn't for another week. Adam's lawyer took all of this and is going to make sure the guy suffers for this...I honestly think that it would never be enough for what he has taken from my love.**

** At the moment, he's very vulnerable and needs his family and friends to help him through this. I'm writing this because he needs you all too. Ever since he started this a lot of you have become like friends to him. A couple are even students learning from his writing style. **

** I watched one of his dreams die...I won't watch another one fall if I can stop it. He loves writing, and I know that when he comes out of this he'll be more determined to be the best at what he does despite what has happened. **

** He's going to be off the site for a while. I don't know how long exactly, but when he comes back you can bet he will be with avengence.**

** Also...I plan on telling him some news today that I know will raise his spirits. I've wanted to tell him for the last day or so but it just seems too soon. But he has every right to know.**

** He's going to be a daddy... :)**

** We planned on having kids after school and our wedding, and we might only be in our second year at college, but I just know that he'll be a great parent. And after everything that has happened to him I hope that this will be the beacon of hope that he needs. **

** Don't lose faith in him guys. And give him what support that you can. Please. As his other half and the mother of his child don't forget about him, and I'll make sure that he keeps tabs on you guys too.**

** Thank you for reading this. And for any support you give. This means the world to us. **


End file.
